There are some unusual cases
by readitandmeep
Summary: Each of the Ghosts have died in a previous life, yet still retains all the memories of their past lives.. but then there's Claire. When both halves of Vertrag are bounded, the risks are dangerously high. Resigning the game isn't an option. OC
1. Chapter 1

**So, this is my first 07-Ghost fanfic and I hope you enjoy it. This story is set around 5 years after the Raggs war just in case you're wondering.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own 07-ghost, but I do own my OC, Claire**

**And so, without further ado, Read on! x)**

* * *

"_Uncle Fea! Tiashe-kun!"_

_I ran over to them, stumbling a few times. The tears streamed down my face and I didn't bother to wipe away the blood on my hands. It was hard to speak. My throat was dry, making me choke on my words_

"_U-uncle Fea! D-dad is.. H-he is-"_

"_Shh shh, it's alright, child." He comforted me, wiping the tears off my face._

"_Father? What's going to happen now?" Tiashe asked, his innocent big green eyes that were exactly like mine stared up at uncle Fea._

"_Listen, young prince..." I couldn't concentrate on what he was telling Tiashe, as voices outside of the destroyed building caught my attention._

"_No sign of them, sir!" _

"_Have you checked the cliffs?" someone asked, it was a cold voice, full of authority, yet somehow seemed lifeless._

"_Yes, sir! One of Raggs' bodyguards were defeated by lieutenant Hyuuga-"_

"_Have you searched the forest?" The voice interrupted harshly_

"_No, sir. We'll search it right away!"_

_The voices were gone, but the noise of explosions and screaming were still heard outside._

"_Claire," Uncle Fea caught my attention, "After this is all over.. stay strong, like your father. He was a brave man and died with honour, do not forget that." He gave me those warm, kind smiles that he would always give._

"No, don't end.."

But it did, they always did.

I sat up groggily and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. It's been five years since I woke up in a forest knowing completely nothing. No memories, not even my name, but I did have a scar on the side of my throat which I knew nothing of. Since then, I've been living off on my own, taking various jobs and travelling from district to district. For all of the times I was actually able to sleep, it was the same dream, perhaps a memory I can't remember. Every time I have that dream, sometimes a few pieces, fragments of my memory, they add up maybe 1 or 2 seconds to the scene. But most of the time it's the same as before.

Always with that white haired man, the green-eyed boy, and that cold voice.

From five years of dreaming, this is all I've accomplished.

With a sigh, I got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. I examined my reflection in the mirror.

I had slightly curly white hair(Yes, white) that reached my mid-back, along with side bangs that slightly covered my left eye. I was pale, REALLY PALE, and small, around 5 foot 1. I was 15, but always mistaken for a 10 year old, sometimes being called 'kiddie' or 'shrimp'. I'm thin from working all the time, and travelling from district to district, so it was a bit- I mean, REALLY freakish that my chest wasn't flat. It was kinda big for someone like me, but my hips weren't that developed, though.

Anything else unusual about me?

Well, my eyes, which were a deep shade of green, like a jade stone, maybe you can add that my list of unusual characteristics. Everything about me stands out, making me an outcast. Because you don't exactly see a pale-white haired-green eyed-big-chested midget with-a scar on their throat everyday.

I took a shower and changed into a white shirt that was a size too big for me, a pair of black shorts, and put on my black travelling cloak. I also wore black gloves to hide the mark on my hand, which was already there when I woke up five years ago. It looked like an axe, but otherwise, I never understood it at all. When I slipped on a pair of black leather boots and gathered my things(Mainly, a rucksack filled with money, clothes, and other personal needs), I trudged downstairs to the ground floor of the Inn and went to the front desk and handed my money to the landlord.

"Name, please?" The old man asked

"Claire Carsten" Shortly after I woke up 5 years ago, I gave myself a name. _Claire_, since the man with white hair in my dream called me that. And my last name, _Carsten_, because it seemed so familiar to me whenever I think about it.

The landlord accepted my money and I thanked him before I left.

When I stepped out of the inn, I immediately see the common sight of homeless children on the streets of district 6.

I walked along the streets and unsurprisingly, I received stares from other civilians. The children were pointing at me, whispering to one another, probably how I was a witch or some kind of psychopath that was going to kill everyone. I get that all the time and even I have to admit that maybe I wasn't exactly human. I never felt my heart beating, nor did I feel any body heat.. It was strange but I never exactly figured out why. I didn't pay the staring bystanders any attention, though. If anyone of them tries to attack me, I can easily fight back with my attacking zaiphon, which I learned how to use from some really kind old men I met in the woods once.

I passed by a bar, which I used to worked in as a dishwasher in my time here. I'm glad I don't have to go back there. The owner kept yelling at me for having white hair! I never talked back just for the sake of my small salary, though.

After a few minutes of walking, I noticed that someone kept following me. I prepared myself in case he/she decide to make a move, but they never did.

"Alright, I know you're following me. You don't have to hide, and I don't have to pretend I don't notice you."

A girl about 7 years old with her brown hair in pigtails came out and stared at me with her big brown eyes.

"Is there a reason you kept on following me?" I asked

"W-well, when I saw you I was curious.. because everyone here has only black or white hair.. but not you.. you have pretty hair.. My name is May!" She smiled warmly at me, and I actually smiled back.

"So, May, where are your parents?" But I immediately regretted asking when I saw her expression.

"I don't know.. No one ever told me what happened to them.." she said sadly

"Oh. Well, if you want you can have some breakfast with me."

* * *

"Mm. Thank you, Claire nee chan!" May happily ate the bread we bought from the nearby bakery stand as we sat on the pavement.

"We never get to eat meals like these in the orphanage.." she said sadly "Madam Terra is always mean to everyone. That's why most of the other children live on the streets, instead."

"Doesn't anyone give that old hag a piece of their mind?" I asked, munching on some bread.

"No.. If anyone ever did then they'd probably get beat up by her." She answered, shivering, and we sat in silence eating the bread for a few minutes.

"Hmm. Well, I have to leave this district soon. It was nice meeting you, since I never get to meet much people from my travels. I'll walk you to the orphanage before I leave." I offered

"You're leaving? Oh okay.. It's in the middle of town!"

We began making our way to the orphanage while she asked me different questions

"Claire nee-chan, where are travelling to?"

"To district 7. I've never been there and I don't really like staying in one place for a long time. I'm looking for someplace where I can settle down. I've been travelling from district to district, taking different jobs for money, and learning lots of stuff, but I never really felt at home wherever I travelled."

"Where is your home, Claire nee-chan?"

"I don't know either. I don't remember much from my past." I admitted

"Oh. Isn't it dangerous and lonely to travel alone?"

"Well, I know how to defend myself. I've been travelling by myself for a long time so I'm used to it." I shrugged

"I think it's really cool that you get travel to different places! I hope that someone will adopt me soon so that when I grow up, I can be free and be like you, Claire nee-chan!" she yelled happily, and to be honest, it made me feel.. happy. I never exactly had someone call me nee-chan, or look up to me, so it felt nice to have met May.

"Is this the orphanage?" I asked as we stopped in front of an old building which had a cold atmosphere to it.

"Yup. It's not much but it's still-"

"DAMN KID! Where the fuck were you! How dare you try escaping!" A stern woman walked up to us and lifted May by the collar

"So you thought you could escape, did you!"

"B-but I didn't try to escape! I just went for a walk!" she squeaked

"DO I LOOK STUPID TO YOU!"

"Actually, yes." The old lady whipped around and was surprised that I was standing there, glaring at her.

"Put May down or else." I threatened

"Who do you think you are? Brats like you should fuck off!" She yelled angrily

"I can kill you in a blink of an eye, so don't even try to test my patience. PUT MAY DOWN NOW." I growled, trying to look as menacing as possible even though I was probably half her size and it took her a while to decide whether or not I was a threat.

"Tch, brats like you waste my precious time." She grumbled and let May go before storming back to the orphanage.

"And don't go terrorizing any other kids or else you're in for it when I come back!" I yelled, and it made her stiffen for a while before slamming the door.

"Thank you, Claire nee-chan!" she hugged me and I felt.. good. It made me warm inside just by seeing her smile.

"It's no problem, kiddo. If that old hag does anything bad to anyone of you kids, tell her I'll straighten her up when I visit." I grinned

"You'll really visit? Yay! Thank you for everything, Claire nee-chan! I'll tell everyone in the orphanage all about you!" She jumped up and down happily "Oh, wait!" She ran to the back of the orphanage and when she came back, she handed me a rock.

"This is for you! I know it's not much, but it's my way of saying thanks for everything!"

The rock was, well, it was like any other rock, except it was smooth and had a small crack.

"Oh wow, you didn't have to. Thanks for the rock." I said, somewhat flattered

"It's not a rock, silly! It's a stone. That's why it's really smooth!" she laughed

"Oh okay." I laughed "I should get going now, its noon. I'll visit you when I can." I walked towards a nearby delivery carriage

"Bye Claire nee-chan!" She waved happily, and I waved back, grinning.

"Excuse me, I'd like to hop aboard this carriage." I handed my money to the driver "Where're you delivering this stuff, anyway?"

"District 7" answered the driver who looked kind enough

"Perfect." I smiled

As we rode our way towards district 7, I took a look at May's gift. _I guess it is a stone. How stupid of me to think of it as a rock_ I smiled to myself. I've been doing this a lot today, smiling. I wonder if I smiled a lot when I was younger, if I was happy. I used to think that smiling was a sign of weakness, but then what the heck,

Maybe it's not so bad after all.

* * *

**So, what'd you guys think? I know it's not much yet, but I just HAD to introduce May! But don't worry, the next chappie will be better and longer! **

***cough*Frau will be there*cough***

**I wanna know what you guys think before I post the next chapter, so please review! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, even though only 1 person reviewed in the 1****st**** chappie, it was enough to keep me going.**

**Kira86: Thank you so much, I'm glad you think so :D**

**So anyway, here's the 2****nd**** chapter! *cough* Frau is 16 years old here *cough***

* * *

"Sorry, kid. But I only deliver until the main gate. This is as far as I can go."

"Oh, it's fine. Thanks, mister." I smiled, the emotions from yesterdays encounter with May not yet wearing off.

I walked along district 7, and surprisingly, no one was staring at me. It was too good to be true. And so I walked with a stupid grin on my face, not feeling like an idiot at all. I searched for a place to stay, an hour passed and my good mood was beginning to drop and so I asked a nearby nun with blonde hair for some info.

"Excuse me, but is there an inn here? A place to stay, maybe?" I asked politely

"Oh, you must be lost! Poor lamb! I'm sorry, but there are no inns in this town. But you can stay at the church if you like, I can take you there." She offered, a little too dramatically. Poor lamb? Sheesh. I'm not _that_ desperate.

"Erm, if that's ok, then sure. I'd like that." I sweatdropped, then she suddenly took my hand and preceded to drag me to who knows where,

"H-hey! I can walk on my own!" I yelled

"It's just right around the corner!" she giggled "I'm Sister Rosalie by the way!"

She dragged me in different twists and turns and people started to stare.

_So much for my good mood.._ I thought

When we arrived at the huge Barsburg church, no really, I mean HUGE, I was awestruck. How the heck did I miss this?

As if reading my mind, she asked "Isn't it huge?" and I nodded. We walked inside the church grounds and I looked around like a kid in a candy shop.

"It's.. Beautiful." I said, still in awe

"Yes, it is, isn't it? Everyone works hard here. The bishops, nuns, even the examinees all help out to keep this place like this. This is called God's territory for a reason, you know." She explained

"Hmm. It's really this peaceful here, huh?" I asked

"Yes. Lots of people take refuge in the church, even criminals, since the military aren't allowed here. After all, everyone deserves a chance at forgiveness."

Maybe it was just me, but this place seemed like.. home. Maybe I never actually lived here, but it was like that in a way.

"Come on, Bastien-sama. It wasn't _that_ bad!"

A tall bishop with black hair and a kind face along with a teenage boy who looked around my age with spiky blonde hair and striking blue eyes came up to us.

"Ah, Bishop Bastien! Good morning!" Sister Rosalie greeted the bishop

"Good morning. Would you mind taking Frau to Jio-sama on your way? I caught him roasting some meat again." He sighed

"Oh come on! The old man'll have my head this time!" The boy named Frau complained, and I stared at him for some reason. When he noticed me, he stared at me wide-eyed.

"Who is that?" he asked, surprised

"Oh, that's right. I forgot to ask your name.. Do you mind telling us?" Sister Rosalie asked

"Oh, uhm, it's.. Claire." I answered. There was an awkward pause with Frau and I staring at each other then-

"BISHOP LABRADOR!" Frau yelled then dragged me with him running away, leaving behind a confused Sister Rosalie and Bishop Bastien

"AHHH! WHAT THE HELL!" I yelled

"BISHOP LABRADOR! BISHOP LABRADOR!" he kept yelling and it went on and on like that; Frau dragging me everywhere yelling "BISHOP LABRADOR!" and me yelling "AHHH! WHAT THE HELL! AHHH!"

We reached a beautiful garden full of different plants where a bishop who I assumed was 'BISHOP LABRADOR!' was tending to the plants.

"BISHOP LABRADOR! SHE'S A GHOST!" Frau burst out, with me confused as ever.

"Oh, hello Frau. Who might this be?" Bishop Labrador asked, his voice soft and kind. He had white hair but unlike mine, it had a violet tint to it. He wasn't that tall(Yet still taller than me), and had deep violet eyes. He had a kind smile and seemed oblivious to everything that's happening around.

"Don't pretend like you don't know! You probably knew before me that she was coming!" Frau yelled, with an anime vein popping on his head.

"I'm right here, you know. Can somebody PLEASE explain to me what's going on?" I burst out

"Do you mind if I ask for your name?" Bishop Labrador asked calmly

"It's Claire."

* * *

"Ah, so Claire, you don't remember anything from your past?" Labrador-san asked. It was around 3 in the afternoon and we were sitting in a small gazebo, the three of us drinking tea like nothing weird had just happened a few hours ago.

"I don't remember anything, to be honest." I answered. For the past hours they've been asking me various questions, and the strange part was, it wasn't awkward at all when I answered them. I didn't feel as if I was being interrogated, I actually felt as if I could trust them. So I told them my story, except for my dream.

"You didn't know that you're a ghost?" Frau asked, slightly bored

"What do you mean?" I asked

"Claire, have you ever heard of the seven ghosts?" Labrador-san asked, and I shook my head. The two of them exchanged looks and Labrador started explaining,

"A long time ago**(A/N: You can skip this part if you already know the tale of Verloren)**, the God of death, Verloren, who was hailed as the Chief of Heaven's most perfect creation, had the job of judging the souls of the dead, depending on whether they were pure or tainted." He started "The Chief of Heaven had a daughter, Eve. When her skeleton was found, her soul devoured, the Chief of Heaven accused Verloren of killing her.

"Enraged by the accusation, Verloren escaped to Earth and began looking into the hearts of humans for Eve's soul, tainting them in the process. Realizing the consequences of Verloren's actions, the Chief of Heaven sent seven heavenly lights, the seven ghosts, made from Verloren's fragments, to execute the God of Death.

"They were able to seal him inside Pandora's Box with the power of the Eye of Mikhail, forcing Verloren to forever be reincarnated- his soul never to be able to enter heaven again. The seven ghosts stayed, serving as guardians of the empire. However, even after Verloren has been sealed away for more than 1000 years, his messengers, the Kor, continue to taint the souls of humans to put them under the God of Death's influence." Labrador finished.

"Eh? But then what does that have to do with.." I started but then my eyes widened, I started getting nauseated and then I blacked out.

"_Vertrag," That cold voice.. _

Is this a memory?

"_It is time you return what is rightfully mine"_

_I watched in horror as the hooded skeletal figure was about to devour uncle Fea and without realizing it, I ran from my hiding spot and jumped on the skeletal figure from behind while it was already halfway devouring._

"_DON'T HURT HIM!" I cried as I tumbled on the ground, but the enraged skeletal figure pulled me by the collar _

"_Insolent fool! How dare you distrupt me!" It growled venomously. He threw me on the ground and his form changed to a tall menacing man in a military uniform with white hair and intimidating purple eyes. I tried to stand up but I couldn't, I just lay there on the ground petrified, awaiting my death as the man unsheathed a long sword, slowly approaching me._

_I looked around frantically for anything. I saw Tiashe watching with fear from the crumbled building, his green eyes flowing with tears. I met Uncle Fea's gaze as he's struggling to try and save me, when he couldn't even stand up. _

'_**Claire'**__ he mouthed to me desperately. It pained me to see him that way, I looked up and the man was emotionless, staring right at me and raising his sword. It was as if time slowed down, the blade coming at me as slow as possible, the noise around me dimmed._

_This is it._

_I didn't close my eyes as the blade came in contact with my throat. All I felt was pain as my blood trickled down. I instantly blacked out, but before I did, I saw a faint image of a hooded skeletal figure. It wasn't the one who killed me, I can tell for some reason, but it was staring at me, and I heard nothing except for uncle Fea's voice_

"_Claire.."_

"Claire.."

"..CLAIRE!" Someone was shaking me awake, and on instinct, I screamed bloody murder and attacked the intruder

_SLAP!_ I my hand came in contact with the intruder's face and I slapped hard, mind you.

"ACK! WHAT THE HELL, BRAT!" The intruder yelled, and when I opened my eyes, I realized it was Frau that I slapped. Labrador was there too, and he looked concerned, but I'm not so sure if it's for me or for Frau, who was clutching his left cheek that had a red hand mark burning on it.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" He yelled

"Sorry.." I said.

"Claire, are you okay?" Labrador asked concerned.

"..."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked and I nodded.

"After I woke up a few years ago, I started having this dream.." I told them all about the dream I kept having. I told them about that white haired man, the boy with green eyes like mine, how I managed to disrupt the skeletal figure from devouring the man, and the cold man that killed me.

"..Before I died, I saw a hooded skeletal figure staring at me." By the time I was finished, tears were threatening to fall down my face, but I held them back. Everything was silent for a few moments until Labrador decided to speak up,

"Claire.. Did you say that you stopped the skeletal figure from devouring the man?" he asked, a little surprised actually.

"Well, I didn't stop him, I disrupted him, actually. It's kinda like.. it only devoured half of the man, I guess..?" I said thoughtfully "Oh yeah, and I think the man was a bishop. He was wearing clothes like yours." I pointed to Labrador

Frau and Labrador exchanged looks again

"Claire, haven't you ever felt anything.. unusual?" Labrador asked

"Like what?" I asked

"Does your heart beat?" Frau asked

"No, and I don't have body heat either." I shrugged

"Can you show us your hand?" Labrador asked politely, so I did. When they saw the mark on my hand, the two of them exchanged looks.

"This is.. the mark of Vertrag." Labrador said

"Well, there you have it. That's all the proof we need, you're one of the seven ghosts." Frau said bluntly

"..."

"..."

"WHAT?"

"Well, we sensed a presence of another ghost the moment you came here, but it seemed.. different. You're incomplete." Labrador said, in deep thought

"So.. i'm dead?" I asked, a distant look in my eyes

"..Yes. I know it's a lot to take in, but you're not the only one" Labrador smiled

"Eh?"

"Our apologies, we forgot to mention that we're one of the seven ghosts, too." Labrador laughed

"Even _him_?" I deadpanned, pointing at Frau.

"Why do you find that so hard to believe, munchkin?" he complained

"I'm not a munchkin! I'm not _that_ short!" An anime vein popped onto my head

"Keh, whatever you say." He teased. Labrador tried to ease the tension

"Claire, if you don't mind me asking, do you know your last name?" he asked

"Not really. But I decided my last name as Carsten. I'm not sure why, but I just think that it's a really familiar name, probably someone close to me." I shrugged. I realized it was already around 6 pm

"Ah. Well, it's getting late. We'll see you tomorrow, it was nice meeting you." Labrador smiled

"Likewise."

"Frau, kindly take Claire to her room." Labrador asked, and Frau shrugged.

"Come on, munchkin." Frau called, already ahead of me.

"I'm not a munchkin!" I yelled, trying to catch up to him. "

Labrador smiled. Those two were already getting along well. The flowers comment on how they'll have an inseparable bond. He walked on to Archbishop Jio's room to tell him about Claire.

Frau might just need someone like her in his life.

* * *

**SO? Whad'ya guys think? I know it wasn't much but I guarantee that the next chapter will be better. BTW, Were the characters a little OOC? Your opinion REALLY matters so I hope you guys review! Thank you for reading! ^^**


	3. Chapter 3

**OH MY GLOB. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed/alerted/favorited(Is that even a word?) this story!**

**ThrongilAnime: I know, I try really hard not to make it that way, and thank you because your opinion REALLY inspired me to do better and be more cautious of stepping inside the mary sue boundary :D**

**Smallpumpkin: Thanks for the heads up, it's a good thing you noticed, or else I wouldn't have been aware of how OOC it was. O.O**

**Anyway, Claire is 15. The Raggs war happened 5 years ago so she was 10 years old back then and older than Teito. Now, enjoy the new chapter! c:**

* * *

"WAKE UP, MUNCHKIN!" Frau barged in my room, followed by Labrador who was carrying a tray with food and an old man I didn't know.

I groaned and muttered "What time is it..?"

"6 am" Labrador answered and I sat up groggily, rubbing my eyes.

"Claire, this is Archbishop Jio. He's one of the few who know about the seven ghosts."

"Pleased to meet you." I said awkwardly, and he smiled at me. I started eating my breakfast which was bread and orange juice. Archbishop Jio decided to break the silence,

"Claire, Bishop Labrador told me all about you last night. We have discussed the matter, and we have come to the conclusion that you are the vessel of Vertrag, although only half of the ghost. It is quite unusual for something like this to occur." He explained

"Hmm. Who exactly is Vertrag?" I asked, but this time, it was Labrador who spoke up,

"Vertrag is the pledging spirit. The ghost has the ability to manipulate souls. Basically, controlling their movements and speech by making a contract with them."

"What kind of contract?" I asked

"You should know. You're the vessel, aren't you?" Frau answered, and I ignored him.

"Wait, if I'm only half of the ghost, what does that mean, exactly?" I asked, Archbishop Jio answered

"It means that, although you are still one of the seven ghosts, you only posses half of Vertrag's power, while the other half has the other. From what we know, your other half is now with _Verloren_." And for some reason, that name made me shiver.

"Doesn't explain why she doesn't remember anything." Frau shrugged.

"We are still unsure why she does not have her memory." Archbishop Jio said "But, there will come a time when she will fully regain them."

Nobody decided to speak after that. After I drank the orange juice, I asked

"What now?" I've been waiting for the answer to this question since last night. What does all this knowledge mean? Am I supposed to leave the church, or do I have to live in solitude for the rest of my life? What now?

"We have decided that you are to stay inside the church grounds and train to become a bishop to be able to control your abilities." Archbishop Jio said

"WHAT?" Frau burst out

"Heh, why do you find that so hard to believe?" I smirked, recalling his words from yesterday

"Didn't think little girls can become bishops now. Can you even handle it?" he retorted and I scowled. Before I could retort back, Archbishop Jio spoke up

"You're one to talk, Frau. You've taken the written exam three times now." He said "Well, I must go now. Mass is about to start. Welcome to the church, Claire." He said before taking his leave.

"So, you've failed the exam three times now?" I smirked

"Hmph. Don't get all cocky just because they allowed you to take the exam." He left the room, and that only left me and Labrador.

"I don't get a choice in this, do I?" I mused

"Not really." Labrador laughed "Here's your Bishop's Apprentice uniform," He said, handing me a pile of clothes "And here's your exam badge." Handing me a silver badge "The exam is in two months."

"What am I supposed to do today?" I asked

"You can attend Mass if you want, or you can explore the church." He suggested, before standing up "You have training with Bishop Bastien in the afternoon" he reminded "I have to go prepare for Mass. Good luck, Claire." He took his leave, and that left only me.

"I never expected that visiting District 7 would lead me to all this." I sighed

* * *

"Where the heck is everyone?" I groaned. I've been walking around the church grounds for hours, looking for the church, and I can't even find it. Mass was probably over. I whipped my head back, and still there was no one there. It's because I keep feeling that there's someone watching me, but every time I look, there's no one. I couldn't even ask anyone for directions.

"I knew this place was big, but really!" I yelled exasperated, and I sat down on a huge fountain.

"Now I'm talking to myself.." I muttered, and I proceeded to lie myself down on the edge of the fountain, staring up at the sky and humming a tune that I probably heard somewhere. After a while I noticed someone else humming the same tune with me, so I stopped.

The humming continued.

"W-who's there?" I asked, a little freaked out. I looked around frantically for the source of the humming, but found nothing. The strange feeling of another presence nearby was still there. I sighed, and looked at my reflection in the water. I stared at myself for a while and I blinked, so did my reflection. I cocked my head to the side,

Then my reflection smiled on its own.

"HOLY SHIT!" I jumped and backed away from the fountain.

A face like mine emerged from the fountain, except it had the body of some kind of mermaid. Then it's face shifted into a beautiful one with pink hair and pink eyes.

It began to sing and I listened to its beautiful voice. I approached it slowly and when I was finally standing in front of her,

I was hugged, and I hugged back somewhat awkwardly. I still felt the strange presence of someone watching us.

When she let go of me, she started to sing again, and I watched her intently.

"I see she has taken a liking to you."

I whipped my head back, and some kind of doll dressed in nun's clothes stepped out from behind a pillar.

"Is it just me, or is there really a talking doll over there?" I sweatdropped. I've had too much weirdness in just one morning.

"Razette is a noel mermaid, as well as the church's organist. She is usually shy with most people." A guy with reddish brown hair and glasses(he was probably an examinee, judging by his uniform) stepped out from behind another pillar. Apparently, he was controlling the doll with his zaiphon.

"So you've noticed my presence for a while now." He said "And by the way, such foul words aren't supposed to be uttered inside the church grounds."

"Is this a normal thing for you? Stalking other people with dolls especially when they're lost?" I asked bluntly.

"So you're looking for the church?" he asked, ignoring my question.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not." I retorted

"It's right over there, you know. Anyone could have spotted it." He deadpanned, pointing to a distant church that anyone could have seen a mile away. Yet again, how could I have missed that?

"Hmph, I wasn't looking for the church." I muttered stubbornly.

"Of course you weren't." He smiled "You're Claire Carsten, aren't you?"

"What of it?" I asked, a little suspicious. This guy was getting really creepy.

"Labrador-san has told me a lot about you." He said, sitting next to me on the fountain

"What did he tell you exactly?"

"Who you are." He answered

"And who am I, exactly?"

"You ask a lot of questions." He noted "Well, he told me that you're one of us."

"One of what? Examinees? Yeah, I'm training to become a bishop."

"No, not one of the examinees," He said "One of the seven ghosts."

I froze. Why would bishop Labrador tell him about that? What does he have to do with any of this?

"What's it to you? Who are you anyway?" I asked defensively

"My apologies, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Castor." He smiled and offered his hand, trying to be some kind of gentleman. I shook it hesitantly. It was cold, and then I realized it. I sensed his presence, he knows I'm Vertrag, he has no body heat..

"AHA!" I yelled triumphantly, pointing a finger directly at him "You're a ghost, aren't you!"

"I thought you would have already known when you sensed my presence, I guess not." He teased

My right eye twitched. _He called me stupid! In some kind of sophisticated way, but still!_

"Oh shut up.." I huffed "And here I thought you were a gentle man, a creepy gentleman, maybe." I don't know why, but a smile was tugging at the corners of my mouth.

"It's not like you're very lady-like yourself." He smiled

* * *

Castor and I talked for a long time, and I got to know him a little better. It turns out he was the ghost, Fest, the tying spirit. He has manipulation zaiphon, which he can use to control his dolls. _'I can use it to move objects at will'_ he said.

Despite being a little mischievous(taking every chance to make fun of me), he was really kind and polite(As when he didn't pressure me when I didn't want to talk much about my past).

"Where'd you learn to use zaiphon?" he asked. We've been doing this for the past few hours, asking each other questions.

"When I was travelling, I met some old men camping in the woods. They let me stay with them for a while, and taught me how to defend myself by teaching me how to use zaiphon and how to fight." I answered. Just a few hours ago I was suspicious of him, and now I'm practically opening up to him.

"Hey, can you show me how your manipulation zaiphon works?" I asked

"Well, using my zaiphon," he extended his hand in the direction of the doll "It's sort of like creating strings to control the object." The doll started walking around then it started tap dancing.

"That's so.. wow!" I laughed, completely at a loss for words. When the doll finished, it bowed and Razette and I clapped our hands.

"Ah, Claire! There you are!" Sister Rosalie, the nun I met yesterday, ran towards us.

"Bishop Bastien is looking for you. Your training was already supposed to start a few minutes ago." She panted.

"What? It's already noon?" I sighed and turned to Castor "Sorry, I have to go."

"It's ok. I have training with bishop Labrador, anyway."

When me and sister Rosalie walked away, she immediately turned to me,

"So, I see you've met Castor-san! Isn't he such a gentleman?" she sighed dreamily

_What? Gentleman my ass. Sure, he's kind and polite, but he's still a sadistic creeper. That makes him a sadistic gentleman._

"I guess..? Aren't you supposed to be a nun?" I asked a little confused

"Why yes, I'm a nun, but we all have something we're guilty of. Why, just the other day, Sister Athena had a 7 hour affair with one of the guards, or at least that's what she told me. And then yesterday, I found a stack of porn magazines under Frau-san's-"

"Alright, alright! Too much information!" I cut her off, a little flustered. Maybe not everyone here is so pure, after all.

"You never know. Everyone in the church could be hiding something." She winked

* * *

"I'M LATE! SORRY!" I panted as Bishop Bastien and Frau(?) came into view. I can understand why Sister Rosalie didn't want to accompany me and just gave me the directions to the practice hall;

It was on the other side of the church. No way in hell would anyone want to run that far.

"It's alright, since Frau was also late." Bishop Bastien smiled "I believe I haven't properly introduced myself yet. I'm bishop Bastien, and I was assigned to train you two, since both of you don't come from any of the other districts, or at least you don't know which of them you were in."

"How come the other examinees aren't practicing here?" I asked, as I noticed the room for the first time; a long narrow room with glowing arches that holds up a water barrier, and if you look closely, inside the water barrier were probably hundreds of Kor.

"The other examinees have already used this practice hall dozens of times, even Frau. But _you_ still have to learn how to exterminate Kor."

"Now, can you use zaiphon, Claire?" he asked and I nodded, "Attacking zaiphon" I added

"Have you ever used a Baculus?"

"A what?" I asked, and from the corner of my eyes, I think I saw Frau roll his eyes.

"A baculus is an instrument used to channel your zaiphon. You have to be able to use one properly in order to pass the exam." Bastien-sama explained, handing me some kind of large, metal crucifix with different ancient writings.

"To master the use of a Baculus, one must have a calm mind, determination, and a lot of patience. Try to exterminate at least one Kor." He instructed.

I stared at the Baculus, and then tried to transfer my zaiphon into it. I felt it warming up,

Then it made an audible _poof_ and started smoking

"Ah! Uhm-uh, did I break it?" I panicked and they chuckled

"Don't worry, you didn't. Everyone always has a bit of a hard time getting used to it. As I have mentioned, it takes patience to master a Baculus." He explained

I tried again.. then again, and again and again- yet the result was the same. When I tried for the 6th time, Frau was still there, looking bored.

"Why is Frau here, anyway?" I asked, my eye twitching

"To watch you fail." Frau smirked "Not so cocky now, are you? When you can't even use a bacu- HEY!" he was cut off when Bastien-sama hit him on the back of his head.

"Don't laugh at her, Frau. You should help her instead." He scolded

"No way!" "I don't need _his_ help!" we exclaimed, glaring at each other. Bastien-sama sighed, and so it began; me trying to use the Baculus repeatedly(Failing, obviously), Frau and I constantly bickering, Bastien-sama hitting us whenever we did..

Eventually, no one started talking for a while, and when Bastien-sama did,

"I'll be right back. I just have to talk to the examiner about some important matters. And, please, try to behave until I get back.." he sighed and when he left, Frau and I instantly glared at each other

"Arrogant bastard.." I growled

"Useless bitch.." he spat

"Perverted idiot.."

"Smart-assed munchkin.."

We continued throwing insults at each other, sometimes even yelling them, while I was still trying to use the Baculus(Still failing). The insults ranged from '_dim-witted ass' _and '_undersized brat' _to _'moron' _and_ 'failure'. _There was so much tension in the room that most of the Kor have gathered around the water barrier around us(To watch, maybe?).

"Idiot.." both of us spat. I sighed and sat cross legged on the ground with my eyes closed in frustration

"I give up." I muttered "This is hopeless."

"That's because you're doing it wrong."

When I opened one eye, the other one opened in surprise when I saw that Frau was standing in front of me, offering his hand. I stubbornly didn't take it and stood up by myself,

"I don't get what I'm doing wrong.. This is probably my hundredth try and I still can't do it." I muttered

"You forgot the second thing you need." He said

"Which is?"

"Determination."

I tried again, this time a little more determined. It began warming up and..

_Poof_!

Nah, I still can't get it.

"I still can't get it." I groaned

"You'll get it eventually." He shrugged

"Err, thanks?" It was strange.. thanking him when just a few minutes ago we were venomously throwing insults at each other. Both of us sat down cross-legged on the floor, facing each other. He stared at me strangely and I tried to avoid his gaze by looking at some of the Kor. After a while-

"Is there something wrong?" When both of us turned our heads, we realized that Bastien-sama was already back.

"Erm, nothing's wrong." Both of us stood up awkwardly and Frau tried to change the subject

"Can we go now?" Frau asked

"Yes, both of you can go now. And by the way, tomorrow we'll start training with the District 1 and 6 examinees, since we only have a limited number of bishops in the church this year." He said

We nodded and I thanked Bastien-sama before we left the practice hall. We realized it was already evening when we came out.

"Uhm, bye then." I started heading in the opposite direction

"Where do you think you're going?" he yelled

"To my room!" I yelled back

"Your room is this way, you know." He deadpanned

"Yeah, I knew that." I sweatdropped and quickly turned back.

* * *

When we arrived to the door of my room, I made a mental note to memorize the path we took to get here.

"Well, thanks. Goodnight." I quickly closed the door

"Wait, aren't you going to eat anyth-" Frau stopped, realizing that she wouldn't hear him, and she didn't.

I flopped myself on the bed, not even bothering to change my clothes. I was exhausted as hell. I recalled all that happened today. I got lost, met a noel mermaid, met Castor, I was late for training, failed at using a Baculus, quarrelled with Frau practically the whole time, almost got lost again, and now here I am.

I yawned and before I knew it, I had already fallen asleep.

I didn't even realize that I haven't eaten anything since this morning.

* * *

**You guys are probably wondering who her exam partner is, but that will be answered in the next chapter! :3**

**Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry if it probably sucked, but I was just so excited to post the next chapter that I didn't have much time to think. Btw, Castor is 18 yrs old here, and I apologize if he was a bit ooc. If you have any questions that you want answered or an opinion you want to share just put it in a review and i'll be happy to answer it. Hope to read your reviews, have a good day! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's the fourth chapter, and i'm REALLY sorry that I haven't updated in a while! **

**Smallpumpkin: Oh, thanks so much for your suggestion! It kept me up all night, thinking how I should add Ayanami into the plot. I finally- with your idea- pieced it all together! You are frickin awesome! :3**

**kira86: Thank you! You have no idea how much your review motivated me :D**

**mystic-dawn: I'm glad you liked it. Frau is 16 right now, since he took the exam early when Bastien saw his potential. **

**Btw, I only made up SOME of the scriptures in this chapter, since only three were mentioned in the manga. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

"_Volume 36, Chapter 12, Heaven's history, 'Earth to heaven'" He started, "A lamb shall thou offer, young and unblemished."Uncle Fea sang, and I clapped eagerly. It was a warm sunny day, but luckily, we were sitting on a picnic table in the garden, where the trees shaded us from the hot sun._

"_More, Uncle Fea! More!" I giggled_

"_You really enjoy this, don't you? Let's hope Tiashe-kun will enjoy this as much as you do when he gets older." He said, smiling warmly at the cradled sleeping baby in his arms. "It's nice that your other uncle lets me take care of him when he's not around."_

"_Volume 77, last chapter, Heaven's history, 'When you see the light, come to me.'" he sang, and I clapped happily again._

"_It seems you're enjoying yourself, Claire-chan." A voice said_

"_Mark-san!" I grinned and Uncle Fea gave a brief 'good afternoon'_

"_Claire-chan, your father is waiting for you."_

"_Ah, okay." I said, letting him carry me on his back "Bye Uncle Fea! Bye Teito-kun!" _

Then the scene shifted

"_Raggs child" a voice echoed, cold and monotone._

_Dream. This is a dream, isn't it? An illusion, this isn't real.._

_I surveyed my surroundings; it was a field of pure white flowers, their scent dreadfully alluring, the shade of the sky was depressing, and the cold feeling of the atmosphere only added to the gloominess._

_Then my surroundings altered into a completely different scene._

_It was a distinctly familiar large space room with sea foam green walls. It had a huge grand staircase, several paintings and photos hung on the wall that were all a blur to me, and numerous bookshelves containing different variety of books._

_My surroundings kept flickering back and forth the two sceneries._

"_What is this?" I questioned to no one in particular "A dream?"_

"_This is a dream." the same voice spoke. I whipped around and I saw _him_, I was instantly petrified._

_There was an elegantly crafted table, along with two similarly patterned chairs. An equally elegant chess board waited untouched. But what really traumatized me was the man waiting on the black side of the chess board._

_The same man who killed me, his form flicking from his human form, to a hooded skeletal figure._

_My other half._

_I took a step back "No, this isn't real.. THIS IS A DREAM!" I yelled_

"_Fair enough, this may be a dream. You can believe that this is all an illusion in your mind. However, I assure you, that this, our connection, is very much real."_

_I stared at my hands in horror when I realized that my form was also changing back and forth to a hooded skeletal figure._

"Verloren" I gasped as I awoke in cold sweat, panting heavily. If my heart could beat, I'm sure it would be violently attacking my chest.

I sat there for a few moments, pondering over what I just dreamt. The first one.. was that a memory? I've never had much of those except for the one where I died.

And then there was Verloren.. the man who killed me, my uncle, and probably the boy with the same eyes as mine. What did he mean that the connection was real?

_Just when I thought everything was turning out to be okay for me, then he decides to show up.. _I inwardly groaned

Numerous questions kept bothering me, begging to be answered as I tried to make sense of everything.

Luckily the door opened, breaking me from my state of shock. Bishop Labrador, just the person I needed to talk to.

"Ah, Claire, I didn't expect you to be awake at this hour, I was asked to wake you. You seem bothered, would you like to talk about it?" Yes, that's Labrador-san, kind as always.

"Well," I started "I, erm, dream.. memory, and.." I sighed. I can't even talk properly.

"Relax. Start from the beginning." He smiled

I told him everything about my dream, trying not to make it sound as crazy as possible. Labrador-san listened intently, asking a few questions now and then. He didn't seem to think of me as insane, and I was grateful for that. When I finished, he asked me,

"Is this the first time that you've made any connection with your other half?" he asked

"Yes." I mumbled "Why only now, though?"

"Learning about Vertrag must have triggered the memory, but as for the connection with your other half.. I am unsure." He said, in deep thought.

"Claire, if a connection takes place again, please be vigilant." He warned, concern written all over his face "Although it may only be a dream, we have no idea what his motives are. Don't let him manipulate you."

I was silent for a few moments, but nodded uneasily after a while.

"What time is it?" I changed the subject

"4:30" he answered casually "Everyone wakes up at four in the morning to help out with the chores." He explained, standing up. "You should do your part, too." He smiled, walking towards the door

"Thank you, Labrador-san." I smiled and he nodded

"Oh, and Claire, it is about time that you learn how to control Vertrag's abilities. I will personally help you, your training starts tomorrow." And with that, he left.

Maybe I should forget all about the encounter with Verloren. For all I know, it probably wasn't even real.

I stared at the door for a few more seconds, then-

"_Groooowl.."_ My stomach rumbled loudly. I groaned, got out of bed, and quickly got dressed.

Something tells me that this is going to be a _long_ day..

* * *

"Ah, Claire, you're awake!" Sister Rosalie called out as I walked up to her, noticing that there were two other nuns with her.

"Good morning" I greeted

"Ah, hello. I'm Sister Athena." A nun who had blue hair and purple eyes and was the smallest out of the three(And yet again, still taller than me!) introduced herself

"I'm sister Libelle. Sister Rosalie has told us a lot about you." The other one introduced, she had pink hair tied in a bun and bright blue eyes.

"This is actually the first time we've met a girl examinee. Women usually become nuns instead." Sister Athena said. Sister Libelle was about to say something but-

"_Groooooooowl.." _I blushed furiously in embarrassment "Uhm sorry.. please excuse me but it's just that I haven't eaten anything since yesterday morning." I mumbled

"Oh my, breakfast isn't served until 6am so you'll just have to wait until then, sorry." Sister Rosalie apologized

"Oh, it's alright. I'm sure I can wait until then. "I laughed nervously. "_Groooooowl.."_

"What chores can I help with?" I quickly asked, and just then, Frau passed by, carrying a large crate with both of his hands, and kicking another with his foot.

"Ah, you can help Frau-san carry the caustic lime to the first four floors." Sister Libelle suggested, and called Frau. She asked if I could help him and he shrugged with a brief "Fine"

"Try not to fall behind, munchkin." He called ahead, and an anime vein popped on my head.

"I'll show him.." I grumbled low enough so that no one would hear, carrying the heavy crate "I'll show that bastard.." And I ran after him, and the nuns giggled far behind me

"_Groooowl.."_

* * *

"_Groooooooowl.."_

"Quiet down, will you?" Frau said, completely annoyed.

"I would if I could, moron." I retorted. We finished carrying the Caustic lime to the third floor, so now we were carrying them to the fourth floor, the last one, thank God. The crate was really heavy, so climbing flights of stairs wasn't easy, and my grumbling stomach didn't help matters at all.

"How long until breakfast?" I asked

"One hour." He answered and I groaned, and so did my stomach

"_Groooowl" _it complained

When we finally delivered the last of the Caustic lime,

"What am I supposed to do now?" I asked

"I don't know."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know."

"Does the church have a library or something?" I asked, getting irritated

"Yeah."

"Can. You. Take. Me . there?" I asked, preventing myself from yelling at him

"I don't know." He answered bluntly

_Whack!_

"What was that for!" he complained

"Are you going to take me to the library or not?" I ground my teeth

"Alright, alright! I'll take you there! Damn bitch.."

"_Groooowl.."_

* * *

"It smells like books." I said aloud, inhaling the fresh scent of the library.

"Books don't have smell." Frau retorted

"Yes, they do. They smell like fresh parchment." I stuck my tongue out

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes

I wandered aimlessly from bookshelf to bookshelf. When I reached the end, I found some tables and someone reading a thick book.

"Castor?" I asked, and sure enough, when the person turned his head around, it was definitely him.

"Ah, Claire. Good morning." He greeted

"_Grooooowl.." _both of us sweatdropped

"Good morning." I laughed nervously "Sorry, but it's just that I haven't eaten since yesterday morning.."

"It's fine. I understand." He smiled

"Should've known you'd be here this early in the morning."

Both of us turned in the direction of the voice, which turned out to be Frau's.

"I'm surprised you're even here. Finally decided to study for the exam?" Castor asked nonchalantly

_Whoahh, didn't know he had it in him to trash talk.._ I thought

"Wait, you two know each other?" I asked confused

"Yes. Unfortunately, we're partners for the exam. We've already taken the exam three times." Castor sighed

"I can see why.." I muttered, and Frau heard

"I know. It's a pain, actually. Having to put up with the worst partner ever-"

_Whack! _ Castor hit him with the thick-ass book

"I believe that is my line." He said harshly, his glasses flashing white. I don't know why, but I'm starting to respect him a lot more now.

"The exam is taken in pairs? I didn't know that.." I said "Wait, who's _my_ partner?" I wondered

"I'm not yet sure who, but Bishop Lab gave me the number of you and your partner's dorm. We'll check it out later." Frau answered. I raised my brow at the '_We'll _check it out later' part, but nodded nonetheless.

"HOLD ON!" I burst out, "We have to '_study'_ for the exam?" I exclaimed, making air quotes at the word '_study_'. It's a good thing no one else was here in the library, because we were probably making too much noise.

"Yes. Didn't you know? I mean, the exam is in two months." Castor stood up and started taking various books from the shelf with amazing speed, balancing all of them on top of each other,

"Basically, the first part of the examination," pausing to place the pile of books onto the table "Is a written examination." He explained, picking out more pile of books from the shelves as Frau and I watched him.

"The exam covers 100 topics," placing and getting another pile of books "from the 77 volumes and 7700 chapters of the Barsburg scriptures." And my jaw dropped.

"That's inhumane!" I exclaimed

"She can't do it. Hell, I couldn't do it." Frau said

"That's because you're an idiot." Castor deadpanned, placing yet another pile of books on the table. "Now, you need to have memorized all of these before the exam, which is in two months." He smiled

"Do I _have_ to?" I groaned

"Actually, yes. Unless you want to turn out like Frau.." he said

"HEY! I'll have you know that I opened one book last month!" Frau scoffed. I took a peek at the contents of one of the books and my eyes widened

"I.. I've read this before.." I knitted my eyebrows in concentration

"WHAT?" Frau exclaimed.

_Whack!_

I grabbed another book, and I turned the pages, trying to find a certain scripture _Volume 36, Chapter 12, Earth to heaven; A lamb shall thou offer, young and unblemished._ I can practically hear my uncle's voice

"Yeah, I've definitely read this before.." I muttered

"When did you read it?" Castor asked

"I think my uncle used to sing this stuff for me when I was a kid.." I said "I dreamt about it last night."

"Let us see how much you remember." He said, grabbing a different book.

"That was a long time ago. I doubt she'd still remember it." Frau argued

"Volume 23, Chapter 9, Heaven's history, 'Solicit'"

"..." I'm thinking.. I'm thinking..

"See? She can't-"

"If thou ask for wisdom, and so thou shall receive it." I snapped my fingers, and Frau's jaw dropped. Castor grabbed another book,

"Volume 12, Chapter 9, Heaven's history, 'Commemoration'"

"As you confer, you shall obtain." I recited

"Volume 77, last chapter, Heaven's history"

"When you see the light, come to me."

"It looks like you won't have much trouble reviewing for the exam." Castor smiled then turned to Frau,

"And _you,_ need to start taking the exam seriously. I will not put up with failing because ofyou for the fourth time." Castor reprimanded "Even Claire is ahead of you." He added, and that got both of us fired up.

_Of course I'm ahead of him!_ I growled in my head

"No she's not. She can't even use a Baculus." Frau scoffed

"Well, you haven't even studied anything for the written exam!" I argued

"You know what? I'll show you two, I'll show you that I _can_ take this seriously. I'll have all of these memorized in no time." He declared

"_Groooooowl.."_ all of us sweatdropped

"Breakfast should be ready." Castor said

"Finally!" I sighed

* * *

"Eye fish?" I stared strangely at the dish placed in front of me;_ Eye fish stew_

"It's a delicacy in these parts. It's really good, actually." Castor explained, eating from his stew.

"_Grooooowl.."_

With my hands shaking, I slowly took a sip of the stew, expecting the worst. My eyes widened at the taste.

"Wah..? It's good!" _Really good!_ I thought, eating more of it. Castor and Frau chuckled.

"I'm glad you like it, Claire." Sister Athena said as she passed by. Not much people were here in the dining hall, there were some, but the others were probably still helping out with chores.

"Don't you two have training with District 1 and 6 later at noon?" Castor asked and I nodded

"What district are you from?" I asked

"District 6." He answered, and I remembered my last visit there. I remembered May, and the stone she gave me-which was safe in my rucksack in my room.

"Ah, and Claire, we've already moved your belongings to your dorm room. You can have a look at your room if you want, your partner should be there." Sister Athena said, as I finished my food. "Castor-san, Bishop Bastien is looking for you in the courtyard."

"I have to go." Castor stood up "Are you two attending mass?"

"I'll pass." Frau said

"Sorry, I still have to meet my partner. Maybe tomorrow, I guess." I said, and Castor nodded and left. I thanked the nuns before I walked to the dorms with Frau.

"You do realize that your partner is a boy, right?" Frau asked and I groaned.

"I hope he's not some creepy bastard.." I muttered

* * *

"Room 23.. 24.. 25.. Here, Room 26." Frau and I finally arrived at the door of my room

"Is he in here? Maybe he went to attend mass.." I said nervously

"Open it to find out, then." Frau shrugged. When I opened the door, I expected to find no one- just a normal dorm room.. But instead everything flashed black and I screamed bloody murder.

After a few seconds, I opened my eyes- which I didn't even realize I closed- and something seemed different, I can't point it out though. I saw a guy with blonde hair(With a frickin large curl on the side of his face!) rolling on the floor laughing.

"OH GOD! AHAHAHA!" He rolled, tears of laughter rolling down his face "I did _not_ know that my exam partner would be a girl!"

I was confused as hell to why he was laughing, so I turned to Frau,

"Wha-?"

He was frickin laughing, too. Clutching the door for support, even.

"RAHHH! WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?" I exclaimed, completely irritated. They still didn't stop.

"Take a look at yourself, sweetheart." My 'partner' laughed

I approached the mirror on the side of the room and saw my reflection.

"WHAT THE FRICKIN HELL DID YOU DO TO ME!" I yelled

I was practically half my size now, my clothes were 10 times bigger than before- at least because I was now 10 times smaller. I WAS FRICKIN 10 YEARS YOUNGER!

The two boys were still laughing so I decided to lash out on my partner.

"RAAHHH!" I charged at him, and he didn't seem to care that I'm going to attack him.

Then I tripped on my clothes.

"Oof!" I landed face-first on the floor, and they laughed even harder

"STOP LAUGHING!" I got up and charged at my partner again, but he held me off by pushing his hand on my forehead- with me flailing my fists around.

"Calm down, munchkin." Frau pulled me up by the back of my uniform collar, which looked like a hood now from my size.

"Keh, you're like, 10 times smaller now." He teased

"WHY YOU ($&^2^(~%/!&#%*&^!" I cussed out angrily, and then I turned to my partner, "AND YOU! %&$($*!&*#1!8/{!"

-Somewhere in District 7-

Castor was sitting in mass, listening intently to the sermons, when he picked up a very distant yelling far far away.

"Sounds like Claire.." he sighed as he shook his head.

-Back to you, Claire!-

"Sheesh, calm down, will you? You're lucky everyone else is at mass." Frau sighed

"Don't tell me to calm down.." I muttered, and he let me down. I pulled at my left sleeve, which was sagging down, exposing the strap on my bra. I turned to my partner,

"What the hell is wrong with you! Change me back!" I demanded

"Not unless you ask nicely~!" He laughed

"Goddamit! Just change me back!" I glared

"That's not very nice." He teased

I pounced at him, but failed when Frau landed on top of me, stopping my attack.

"Gitoff meh!" I gasped

"Just calm down, will you?" He asked

"Alright.. alright." I huffed

"Hmph. Just try not to kill him, munchkin." Frau said, standing up, and so did I. My partner stood there with his arms cross, face smug.

"Will. You. Please. Change. Me. Back?" I ground my teeth

"What was that~?" he teased

"WILL YOU JUST CHANGE ME BACK, _PLEASE_?" I yelled, turning my back on him, blushing madly.

"Eh, that'll do." Before I could turn around, my vision flashed black again, my body returned to its normal size, and my clothes fit better.

I'm back to normal.

"Hmm? That's not right.. Why are you still small?" he asked confused

_WHACK!_

"This is how I've always looked like, idiot!" I glared as he clutched the back of his head going 'Ow ow ow!'

"This bastard is supposed to be my partner?" I groaned

"Aha! I believe I haven't introduced myself!" he yelled dramatically, quickly recovering from my hit "I, am Lance!"

"I am the ghost, Relikt, the bequithing spirit! I can see through one's past, and as I have demonstrated, I can turn back time on any entity!" he said, making various arm gestures to show just how 'amazing' he is.

"Yeah, sure. I'm Claire Carsten." I deadpanned. '_Someone could have at least told me that my partner was one of the seven ghosts..' _I inwardly groaned

"I was so excited to meet my fellow partner, but when I sensed that you were also a ghost, I decided to have a little fun." He explained

"Yeah, _fun._" I muttered

"I didn't expect you to be a girl at all! So technically, it just made everything 10 times funnier." He laughed. I seriously wanted to strangle this guy.

"And I see you came here with Frau.." he said

"You know each other?" I asked

"Why, of course! He's my supreme rival!" he exclaimed

I raised a brow at Frau, and he answered with a shrug.

"With me as your exam partner, you will surely, without doubt, pass the examination!" he held out his hand, with a mark that resembled some sort of spear. I stared at his hand, contemplating whether I should shake it or not.

"I don't agree with your ego, but meh, what the heck." I shook his hand anyway.

* * *

"Doesn't it bother you, having a guy as a roommate?' Frau asked. A few hours had already passed since we met Lance. We've already had lunch so now we were looking for bishop Bastien to start the training.

"It's not like I have any other choice.." I said "And besides, I'm pretty sure Lance won't try anything." I shivered at the thought of Lance actually _trying_ something.

"If you say so, then." He chuckled at my expression.

When we found Bastien-sama along with Castor(smiling creepily at me),

"You two are early. The other examinees aside from Castor haven't even arrived yet." Bastien-sama commented

"Claire, no cussing on Holy ground, okay?" he scolded creepily, still smiling. I nodded nervously.

"Claire, you have to be trained separately, since you're the only one who still hasn't learned to use a Baculus."

"Oh, okay. How does that work, exactly?" I asked. _Well this is embarrassing. Everyone else knows how to use a Baculus except me. Great. _I thought

"Well, since I can't be in two places at once, I asked Castor to craft a doll with a kor inside to train you." Bastien-sama explained

Just then, a doll walked up to us, and I burst out laughing.

"WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE ME?" Frau complained. The doll walked up to me, knelt on the ground, took my hand and kissed it.

"I like this version of you _much_ better, actually." I laughed

"Hmph."

"Your goal is to be able to use your Baculus against the doll. I'll check back on you after training." And so they left.

I transferred my zaiphon into the Baculus.. It's heating up..

_Poof!_

* * *

"Stay put, will you!" I yelled at the doll. It's been around four or five hours since my training started and I still can't use the Baculus properly. At some point, Castor came around to check how I was doing and gave me some advice.

"'_Just relax'_ he said _'You'll get it soon enough' _he said" I muttered

I panted heavily and I decided to relax for awhile. That doll was damn fast, I couldn't even catch it.

"Alright, Claire. Just relax. Focus." I told myself "Relax, focus."

The doll started poking my shoulder, I ignored it.

"Relax, focus." I muttered

_Poke. Poke. Poke.._

"Relax, focus." I gripped my Baculus hard, ignoring the doll.

Then it poked me on my right breast.

"..."

"..."

"RAAAAHHHH! &%$ YOU!" I transferred my zaiphon in the Baculus..

_Poof!_

"Screw this.." I raised my Baculus in the air and charged at the doll, flailing the Baculus around

"I WILL DESTROY YOU!" I yelled, absolutely pissed off. I chased the doll around, yelling several profanities at different points. When I was within four feet behind the doll,-No, two feet- it turned the corner and I whacked it hard with the Baculus.

"HAHA! In your face, you perverted doll!" I laughed maniacally, then I realized-

I didn't hit the doll, I hit the real Frau.

"AHHH! I'm sorry!" I apologized as I violently shook the unconscious Frau. It was only then that Castor arrived, with the doll being manipulated by him.

"Castor! I accidentally hit Frau with my Baculus.." I explained

"So, did you manage to learn to use the Baculus _properly_?" he asked, not concerned much about the unconscious Frau.

"Oh, Uhm.. Not really." I laughed nervously "But technically, I did manage to _use_ my Baculus against it."

He sighed "Don't worry. Everyone has trouble the first time around."

"But this is my second time." I frowned

"You'll get it eventually." He smiled "Oh, and for your training tomorrow, would you like to continue training with this doll or try a different method?"

"I'll choose to train with that doll. I _need_ to destroy it." I glared at the doll

"I see. You can go now, your training will resume tomorrow. I'll take care of Frau." He said "Do you need me to guide you to the dorm rooms?"

"Nah, I know the way. Thanks anyway."

* * *

"Oh God, why.." I groaned. My feet were sore from all the walking and running today.

I'm lost. I was sure that with the path I took I'd be at the dorm rooms by now.

Well, apparently not.

"Can anyone _please_ tell me where I am?" I asked, hoping that some of the nuns were still wandering around at this hour. It's already 8 pm, so yeah, I've been lost for around three hours.

"Hey miss, are you lost?"

I turned around, and a little boy about 7 years old approached me. His big brown eyes reminded me of May's, but he had messy black hair.

"Actually, yeah. What are you doing here? Didn't the evening mass end an hour ago?" I asked

"I'm lost, too. I want my mommy." He frowned

"Where did you last see her?" I asked him

"It's been a while.. They told me she was safe, but they never told me where she went." He stared into space

"What do you mean, kid?" Something's not right..

"Haven't you ever lost something that you know you can't get back no matter what you do?" he cried

I took a step back as wings sprouted from the kid's back. _Uh oh._

"In this world, there are some things that never change, but maybe, we can change that. Where everyone can escape the cruelty of reality with wishing. That's all it takes, to wish. Wouldn't you like that?" He asked me sadly

I concentrated on my Baculus, transferring my zaiphon

_Come on.. Come on.._

It started heating up, then finally,

_Poof!_

Fuck.

I ran away as fast as I can, which wasn't that fast considering how my legs were entirely sore. I stopped momentarily to try my Baculus again,

_Poof!_

"I'm screwed." I concluded as the kor slowly approached me.

"Not quite, munchkin." Suddenly a huge-ass scythe was swung at the kor, being handled by a hooded figure. The kor dissipated but the child lay unconscious on the ground.

"May God be with you.."

_Wait a minute- munchkin?_

"Frau?" the hooded figure turned around, its face revealed

"I believe you owe me an apology and a 'thank you', munchkin." He smirked. For the first time in my life, I'm glad he decided to show up. His scythe sank back into his arm, and I stared in awe.

"Whoah.. Do all of the ghosts have a cool scythe like that?" I asked, wobbling over to him, using my Baculus as a walking stick.

"No. All of us have a scythe, but not like this one.." he explained

"Oh." I said "Hey, what about the kid?"

"He has a grandmother looking for him." He said, picking up the child and carrying him on his back. He gestured for me to follow him.

"How do you know?" I asked, trying to catch up to him

"She comes by daily asking the bishops if they've seen him." He explained. Noticing my difficulty in walking,

"You want me to carry you, too?" he joked

"No thanks. " I declined, even though I badly wanted him to. My legs were killing me! I resorted to wrapping my arm around him, using him as support, (Which was difficult considering how he was _way_ taller than me!) while my other hand used my Baculus as a walking stick.

"Why were you here at this time of the night, anyway?" I asked curiously.

"When I woke up in my room, Castor told me about how you hit me with your Baculus." He started,

"I'm really sorry about that, but it was an accident!" I apologized

"Anyway, when he told me that you went back to your dorm alone, I had a feeling that you were stupid enough to get lost. Again." He explained

"You know what? I'll ignore the part where you called me stupid." I yawned

After a while, I didn't even realize that I had already fallen asleep.

* * *

Frau arrived in the room that Claire had used before she moved to the dorm rooms, and placed the child on the bed, along with Claire who had fallen asleep on the way so he had to carry her bridal style.

Truth be told, he couldn't find his way back to the dorm rooms, either. Claire's sense of direction was rubbing off on him.

_Pathetic! _ He would normally tell himself, but right now he was too tired to care. He sat himself on a chair and took one last look at Claire before falling asleep.

Troublesome girl.

* * *

**Lance is 16 years old, in case you were wondering. **

**Tell me what you guys think in a review! More of Verloren/Ayanami's motives revealed in the next chapter, so stay tuned! Thanks for reading, and have a good day **


	5. Chapter 5

**Ohmyglob I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE! I'll try to update faster next time.**

**mystic-dawn: Actually, that's not the case, but I don't wanna spoil anything for you guys. :)**

**TheParadoxicalOtaku: Waaaahh.. Your review means so much to me! Everytime I get lazy, I just look at the reviews and when I see yours, I get all fired up. :D**

**MCRDanime: It should be a long time since Teito's probably not even in the academy yet. But I promise that you'll see him soon. c:**

**AliceJr: Kyaaaa thank you! You're a great motivator, actually! :)**

* * *

"_Elizabeth Raggs"_

_I turned my head to the direction of the voice,_

_Verloren._

_Everything's still the same. The field of flowers and the familiar grand room still flickered back and forth around us. The same man sat waiting, the same chess board untouched. _

_It might have seemed as if nothing has changed, as if I never woke up the last time. But if you look at it from my perspective, a great deal has changed._

_Fear morphed into something I couldn't describe. Newfound courage, perhaps? I possessed hatred towards Verloren, although some part of me refused to hate him, the man who killed me, my uncle, and perhaps even the green-eyed child._

_Although the apprehension was still there, I was overwhelmed with audacity._

"_Care to take part in an amiable game of chess?" Verloren proposed calmly_

_I kept a face of indifference and took a seat on the white side of the board. _'Alright, I'll play your little game..' _I thought_

_And as if reading my mind, he said "Arrogance will get you nowhere, Raggs child." And I scowled._

_I started the game by moving a pawn._

"_Why am I here?" I questioned suspiciously_

"_Are you not fond of my bringing you here?" he smirked, completely different from his previous calm persona. It's almost as if.. as his form flickers to his other, so does his.. behaviour._

_He moved the pawn opposite of mine._

"_You could have made this connection at some other point of my life. Why now?" I asked, moving a knight. "What is this," I gestured to everything around "'connection' all about, anyway?"_

"_Although there are two existing halves of Vertrag, a ghost is, nevertheless, still only one ghost." He said, as he was once again, back to his composed self. He moved a knight. "Hence, either of the halves may create a connection."_

"_That doesn't answer my first question." I moved a bishop, "Why am I here, _now_?"_

"_Why, have you not figured it out yet, Raggs child?" he grinned maniacally, his persona shifting yet again. He moved his other knight. "You possess what is rightfully mine."_

_I avoided his gaze anxiously, pretending to be focused on the game._

_What does he want?_

_I moved a pawn. When I looked back up at him, he was back to his calm demeanour, as if there was a switch that made him change into a different person with just one flip._

"_You also," he moved his bishop and ate my pawn, therefore pinning my knight(If I move it, my queen will get eaten)"hold valuable information that I require."_

"_If it's information that you need, I don't have it. I don't even have my memory.." I mumbled. I analyzed the game so far. _

'_Crap, I can't move my knight, I needed that' I thought. I moved my other knight in a square that SHOULD tempt him to eat it with his knight, therefore giving me a chance to check his king with my bishop._

"_Your being at Barsburg church has brought back memories of your past, has it not?" he smirked. I froze for a moment, and then regained my composure._

"_I'm not in a church." I lied_

"_Lies.." his lips curled into a twisted smile. There he goes again, insane, sane, insane, sane, insane.._

"_How about.." he didn't eat my knight, instead he used his other knight to check my king."A proposition." He offered._

"_If I triumph in this little game, you'll hand over the information I need," he paused "and the other half of Vertrag." No way.._

"_However, if _you_ triumph," he added "I will grant you your memory."_

_That part peaked my interest. He can give me my memory back? I bit my bottom lip and tried to think rationally. My chances of winning this game were screwed up the moment he put me in check._

'_Don't let him manipulate you.' Labrador-san warned me yesterday._

"_How can you bring back my memory?" I asked. _

"_Vertrag's only use was not only to be able to manipulate souls." he explained "The ghost can seal and bring back memories, as well."_

_If I could just win this game.. _

'_I can eat his threatening knight with my pinned knight.. but then that would mean his bishop can eat my queen..' I thought. I was already desperate to get my memories back._

'_Don't let him manipulate you.' Labrador-san's words echoed in my thoughts_

"_No deal." I decided. I pushed my king forward._

_His expression remained unfazed, as he moved his knight, checking my king once again._

_I moved my king forward. _

"_Is that your final decision?" he asked, and then he did something I didn't expect. His bishop ate my pinned knight. I ate it with my queen without hesitation, but then he ate my queen with his knight, therefore checking my king in the process._

_I definitely did _not_ expect that._

_I moved my king forward, and he checked me with his bishop. I can't move to my left or right, since there's a pawn facing my king. Backwards? Nope, the knight was standing guard. Sideways? Nope._

"_Checkmate." He announced "Make your final decision, Raggs child."_

"No deal." I opened my eyes, the dream was already over.

I sat up, and I noticed that I'm not in my dorm room with Lance, but in my _old_ room.

What the hell happened last nigh-

Oh, right. Me, lost, boy, kor, scythe, Frau.. I fell asleep on the walk. But why am I here?

Wait a minute! Frau saved me last night!

I groaned and blushed furiously "Me.. _Damsel in distress.." _I muttered, heading towards door, trying to make my hair presentable "Pathetic! I'll never hear the end of it.." My clothes were all ruffled. I'll have to change my clothes later on.

I ranted on and on in my head all about how embarrassing last night was, instead of concentrating on the encounter with Verloren.

* * *

"Oy! Glasses!"

Castor turned around, knowing all too well that the only person who would call him that..

"Lance." He nodded to the examinee with a blonde curl walking towards him.

"Have you seen Claire?" Lance asked "The squirt never came back to the dorm last night."

"No." Castor said "Frau didn't come back last night, either. He told me that he was going to look for Claire.."

Then realization hit both of them.

Lance's mouth twitched into a perverted grin, whilst Castor's eyes twitched, his glasses flashing white, face flushed.

* * *

"Waaah! Frau nii-san is really strong!"

When I finally found Frau, he was with the boy from last night, carrying two _even_ bigger crates(Well technically, the boy was pushing the other crate).

When they noticed me, "it's Claire nee-chan!" the boy cheered. Frau probably told him my name.

"Morning, munchkin." Frau greeted, and I gave a brief 'morning'.

I crouched down to the boy, since I was taller than him(Fuck yeah!)

"Hey there, what's your name?" I asked, messing his hair

"My name is Klaus!" he yelled happily, much like the time May introduced herself. Completely adorable.

"That's a really cool name you have, Klaus." I said, carrying him on my back and picking up the heavy crate.

"Waaaah! Claire nee-chan is strong, too!" he cheered and I laughed.

We went up flights of stairs, delivering the Caustic lime(6 floors, so far), and Klaus finally fell asleep on my back.

"So, have you told anyone about last night?" I asked, making conversation.

"Bastien-sama." He said "He told us to give the kid to his grandmother when she visits for mass later."

"And by the way," I started. _I don't want to do this. I don't want to do this.._

"I, uhm.." I blushed madly "I want to thank you for last night, really."

_Damsel in distress. Damsel in distress.. _a small voice echoed in my head

"Heh, no problem, munchkin." He smirked

_WHACK!_ Frau was lying on the ground, his crate fell out of his hands.

No, it wasn't me who hit him.

"What the-?" I asked confused. Castor, glasses flashed white and his face flushed along with Lance, whose mouth was stretched into a perverted grin.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" Frau yelled at Castor

"Erm, Claire.." Castor asked, nervously adjusting his glasses "Where were you last night?"

"Yes, squirt. Where were you?" Lance added smugly

"I was with frau, why?" I deadpanned. I don't know why, but Castor's face flushed even more and Lance started laughing.

"AHA! So you were!" Lance pointed accusingly at me "AND YOU-"He pointed dramatically at Frau, "I presume that you were with Claire last night?" _Well, duh._

"Obviously." Frau answered.

"Who knew? My rival _and_ my roommate!" Lance grinned "Did you enjoy last night, Claire?" he looked awestruck at me, with sparkles in his eyes and all. Castor coughed awkwardly.

"What are you talking about?" I asked annoyed "If you don't mind, can you move? This crate's really heavy and I got a kid on my back so.." I showed Klaus sleeping on my back.

Lance gasped, and both he and Castor started whispering _loudly_ to each other, "_They have a kid!"'That was rather fast!""Is that even possible?"_

Meanwhile, I sweatdropped. Frau seemed to understand what was going on, and smirked smugly.

"I slept _with_ her last night, if that's what you two were wondering." He said proudly. _What?_

"Wha-?" I got cut off

"Does the kid have a name? Where did this happen? TELL ME ALL THE DETAILS." Lance demanded

"IDIOT! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU.." Castor approached Frau darkly, and he was about to run when-

"AH!" It was only then that I realized it "It's not what you think!" I blushed madly.

Castor and Lance stared at me.

"No, really! I did _not_ sleep with him! Right?" I asked Frau desperately.

"Well, technically, we kinda did." He winked, my face flushed. I was probably red as a tomato.

"No we did not!" I argued.

"No need to deny it, munchkin. Even Bastien-sama knows about the kid." He grinned. If it weren't for the fact that Klaus was on my back, I would have already attempted to strangle him by now. That bastard.. I'll play his game..

"You know what? I'm not going to deny it anymore." I fake grinned, still blushing. Lance's jaw dropped and Castor looked flustered as ever.

"But it was rather embarrassing, actually. You weren't exactly _all_ that great last night." I pointed at Frau, with a disgusted look on my face.

"How was it?" Lance asked hopefully. In normal circumstances, I would have punched him for that.

"Disappointing, boring, I've had better.." I shrugged, and Frau gave me a look that said '_You dirty little bitch..'_

"It's not like you were entertaining either, munchkin." Frau retorted, and an anime vein popped on my head.

"It was _so_ dull, that I actually fell asleep!" I glared. He was about to retort back but then Klaus woke up.

"Claire nee-chan i'm hungry.." he pouted

"It doesn't look like you two at all!" Lance said

"Idiot. It's not ours." I deadpanned "His grandmother's been looking for him and we found him last night." I explained, not mentioning the part about him being possessed by a kor while Klaus was listening.

"Don't worry, breakfast should be ready later. You can go back to sleep." I reassured Klaus, and he went back to sleep.

"Wait, _please_ tell us that you did not sleep with Frau." Castor said, still flustered.

"I didn't." I huffed "I wouldn't even if my life depended on it."

"Sure you wouldn't, munchkin." Frau grinned mischievously. I ignored him and we continued our way to deliver the last of the Caustic lime.

"Well, technically, we _did_ sleep in the same room, you know."

"Oh, shut up."

* * *

"Idiot, pray first before you eat!"

When we finished delivering the Caustic lime, I changed clothes in my dorm room and now we were at the dining hall. I was munching on a piece of bread when I asked,

"So, Klaus's grandmother will attend mass today?"

"Yes. She always does, actually." Castor answered.

"Ah, and Claire," Labrador spoke up, _wait-was he there a while ago?_

"Your training with me starts after your training with District 1 and 6." He said, and I nodded.

"Wait, where does my training take place?"

"I can't tell you. Finding it is part of your training." He smiled. _Wait, what? _Before I could ask, he stood up and left. Weird.

"Mass should be starting soon." Castor said, we all stood up and made our way towards the church.

* * *

I've gotten lost in the church grounds countless times. Heck, I've even seen a library that was probably 40 times the size of my inn room in District 6!

But let me tell you, the Barsburg church was _huge_!

I was sitting in one of the front pews, with Klaus on my lap. Sitting next to me were Frau and Castor- and next to him was Lance. We were already around 3/4 through the mass, but I only pretended to be listening, following only what everyone else did.

I was too focused on thinking about the encounter with Verloren.(Yes, I only started thinking about it now.)

What troubled me was that I didn't know what the information was that he wanted from me. Was it really so valuable that he would go as far as making a proposition?

'_Don't let him manipulate you.' _I won't.

_He can bring back your memories, though._ A voice at the back of my mind said. Is that really worth the risk, though? I mean, even Verloren said that my memories were slowly coming back as I remain at the church. I can regain them without his deal.

Maybe I should talk to Labrador-san about this..

'_Elizabeth Raggs..'_

"Squirt,"

I snapped out of my stupor when Lance poked my shoulder blade.

"Huh?" I asked stupidly, still dazed.

"Mass is already over." He said

"Oh, sorry." I carried Klaus on my back, who was still marvelling at the beauty of the church.

"Munchkin," Frau pointed at a frail elderly woman at the altar talking to Archbishop Jio. She bore a great resemblance to Klaus.

"Waaaah! Grandma!" Klaus called out to her happily, and when she saw him, she burst into tears and walked over to us.

"Oh my goodness! Klaus! I've been looking all over for you!" she hugged him, and it made me feel good to see them happily reunited.

"Thank you so much! I've been looking for him for almost a week!" she smiled warmly at me and Frau.

"Ha.. it's no problem at all." I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly. After several 'thank you's and 'good bye's, they left the church.

"Grandma, can we visit them soon?" Klaus asked as they were leaving the church

"Anytime you like, dear." She kissed his forehead

I just stood there, with a smile on my face. This feels really good.

"Let's go, munchkin." Frau grinned, and we left the church. At some point, I asked him,

"Does it always feel this good, helping people?"

"Yeah. That's kind of like what becoming a bishop is all about." He said with a knowing smirk on his face, as if he's already helped lots of people before.

Maybe there are some things that I just don't know about Frau.

* * *

_Poof!_

"How long until you'll get it right?"

"Idiot.. I'm already trying as hard as I can!" I yelled. Same training grounds, same perverted doll, same results.

Except Frau and Castor were there to watch me fail.

For the seventeenth time, I transferred my zaiphon into the Baculus.. heating up..

I know very well what happens next,

_Poof!_

"Patience." Castor repeated for the third time. It was starting to get annoying.

"I don't get what I'm doing wrong.." I groaned "It's been three days and I still can't get it right."

_Poof!_

Meanwhile, the Frau doll was dancing weirdly.

"Determination." Frau reminded "You're not even trying anymore."

I opened my mouth to argue back, but no words came out.

_He's right. _I sighed, and decided on a new mindset.

I'm going to frickin do this.

_Poof!_

"Clear your mind." Castor reminded

_Poof!_

"Determination!" Frau yelled, and I gripped the Baculus tighter.

_Poof!_

"DETERMINA-"

_Whoosh! _A wave of zaiphon hit the Frau doll, knocking it off its feet.

Whoah. I did that, right?

"I did it!" I pumped my fist in the air, and Castor nodded at me

"I must say, Bishop Bastien has thought out an excellent method. Yes, I could use this in the future.." he muttered to himself.

"Well, congratulations, munchkin. I have somewhere to be so.." he left. So much for that, I sighed. Well, at least he congratulated me..

WAIT, WHY DO I CARE WHAT HE THINKS?

I laughed in victory. And when I turned back to the Frau doll-

"HOLY SH-" The Frau doll was running towards me, and for a doll, it seemed _really_ angry.

Without realizing it, I had already transferred my zaiphon into the Baculus

_Whoosh!_ It hit the target and the doll parts went flying everywhere! A kor floated where the doll should've been and it tried to escape, flying away.

"Uhh.. Castor?" I stared at the kor, then thin strings wrapped themselves around the kor, being restrained by Castor.

"That was impressive." He remarked.

"Not really. I still need a _lot_ of improvement, though." I said sheepishly, kicking the Frau doll's head that was rolling on the ground.

"Still, you've made a big improvement." He commented, "Your training should be over for now. Congratulations, Claire."

"Thanks." I grinned, somewhat proud of myself. The sun was beginning to set.

_Ha! I'll be ahead of Frau in no time. _

* * *

"Bishop Labrador?" I called out. It was already around 6, and since he didn't tell me where he would be, I decided that the first place to look for him would be in the garden. And he actually _is_ here.. somewhere. I swear I can sense his presence..

"It's Claiiiire! I'm here for my trainiiiiing!" I yelled.

_Is he even here? I know he is, but.._

"Hellooo? Bishop Labrador pleaaaaase come out now." I pleaded, and he still won't show himself.

Maybe he really wasn't here and I'm just talking to no one.

"Pleaaaaaase? I'll start singing if you're not theeeeere!" I sweatdropped. Then again, he really could be there, watching me humiliate myself.

"You're not there? I'll start singing theeeen!" I yelled nervously, sitting down on a nearby bench. I cleared my throat loudly.

I didn't think it would come to this..

I started singing to the tune of London bridge(OHGODWHY)"Claire is here, let's start the traiiining! Start the traiiining, start the traiiiining! Claire is here, let's start the training! Uhh.." I sweatdropped.

"I don't know what goes after that, sorry!" I yelled.

I feel like the most retarded pers-

"Ah, Claire." Something popped out of the flower bush next to me-

"Eep!" I squeaked, jumping out of my seat in alarm. Then I realized it was just Bishop Labrador..

"I'm sorry for startling you. It was just that I wanted you to sense the presence of another ghost, specifically, my presence, for you to be able to start your training.." he laughed sheepishly

"So.. uhm.." I shifted awkwardly, my face flushed "You, uh, heard me singing?"

"Ah, yes. Don't be embarrassed. You have a beautiful voice." He smiled, and I blushed even more.

"Sooo.. uhm.. What do I have to do for my training?" I asked, changing the subject.

"For today, so as long as you are able to accomplish this, you can go." He said, and started concentrating.

His form suddenly flickered, and I took a step back.

He appeared exactly like Verloren, how his form flickered so similarly. I tensed at the thought.

It made me nauseous, being so close to a figure so much like Verloren.

Then it occurred to me. I, too, was a figure exactly like Verloren.

"All of the seven ghosts are fragments of Verloren, and therefore share the same form. All of us have a unique virtue, and so do you, Vertrag." I shivered at the name. _Vertrag_, I haven't fully accepted that name..

Yet, some part of me responds to it.

"You do not need me to tell you how to alter into your true form, for you, yourself already understand." Labrador- no, Profe said.

And I did. For some reason, I knew how. As if my mind was hardwired with this knowledge, yet all the while a completely foreign concept.

I concentrated, willing myself to alter into Vertrag, my real form.

It was just then that I started to accept it, I _am_ the vessel of Vertrag, half or no half.

My vision went blurry for a split second, and before I knew it, my senses were sharper and I loomed over the ground(Does that mean I'm taller now?).

I examined my hands, which were now skeletal in structure. In my right hand, I held a scythe, much like the one Profe held, yet different from Zehel's. I looked at Profe and he nodded in approval.

He changed back to his human form, and signalled me to do the same. I concentrated, and I willed myself to alter my form.

Cue blurring vision, senses returning to normal, then change of height.

"Ha, I did it." I grinned. _And it didn't even take me more than an hour to do it!_

"This is a good start. As promised, you may go now. Good night, Claire." He smiled. _That was fast.._

"Mm, goodnight." I waved, walking away.

"Oh, and Claire?" he called "How is the connection between you and Verloren?" I froze on the spot.

"Uhm, Bishop Labrador? Does Vertrag have the ability to seal and bring back memories?" I asked anxiously.

"All of the ghosts have the ability to seal memories. However, bringing them back.. It seems likely that it would be Vertrag who would have that ability." He answered in deep thought.

"Oh. It's just that.." I thought twice before telling him about the deal, "Verloren.. tried to make a deal with me.. He said he could bring back my memories if I won.." I bit my lower lip "and I have to give him my half of Vertrag and information if he did. But I refused, though!"

He sighed, "Claire, Verloren is not the type to make propositions. If he would go as far to make a deal.. then there is no doubt that he will try to deceive you. I should just warn you, do not fall prey to his traps." He said sympathetically.

I nodded apprehensively, then thanking him before leaving quickly. _Maybe I shouldn't have told him about the deal.. _I thought.

No, don't be stupid. Labrador only tried to give me caution. He's trying to protect me.

It's not that I don't trust Bishop Labrador's words, but the way he made it out like Verloren was trying to manipulate me.. it made me feel weak, as if I'm naive and an easy target.

"Just forget it, Claire." I told myself, "Verloren isn't worth the bother." I yawned.

* * *

"Ah, fu-!" I muffled the profanity as my knee hit the heavy chair. I'm in the library. No, not because I would actually bother to visit at 9pm when I'm already sleepy as hell.

It's because I got lost on my way to the dorms and when I saw that the library was still open, I couldn't pass the chance to get some rest.

There were a few examinees still studying in the library. Some of them in groups, while others simply studied on their own.

"Claire?"

I turned to the source of the voice and immediately recognised Castor and Frau. I walked over to them.

"You're here to study?" Castor asked, I was about to deny but-

"Of course not, she's only here because she got lost on her way to the dorms. Right, munchkin?" Frau smirked. _Am I that predictable to him?_

"Wrong. I'm here because I want to study." I said stubbornly, grabbing a random book from a nearby bookshelf and sat down with Castor and Frau. Then I turned to Frau,

"Wait, don't tell me _you're_ here to study." I raised my brow.

"Surprise, surprise. Like I said, I _am_ going to take the exam seriously this time." He smirked and I frowned, not really believing it.

"Even I was rather surprised to find him here. He's really starting to take the exam seriously." Castor told me.

Without reading the cover of the book, I opened it to a random page and found out that it was volume 34 of the Barsburg scriptures. With a shrug, I began reading it, yawning occasionally.

Eventually I was so sleepy that I kept reading Chapter 20 over and over again.

* * *

"What time is it?" Frau asked groggily.

"10:30" Castor answered. There were only 10 or 8 examinees left in the library, most of them looked like they would fall asleep any minute now, some of them already _were_ asleep.

And one of them was Claire Carsten.

"Oy, wake up." Frau poked her, and she muttered something incoherent.

Just a while ago she was muttering phrases like 'Volume 34' and 'the lamb of God'.

"Should we carry her to her dorm room or do we just leave her here?" Frau asked, poking Claire's cheek.

Castor sighed.

* * *

**Well, there you have it. I'm sorry if it was crappy(Was it?).**

**Anyway, I hope to see your reviews because I REALLY need to know your opinions about this.**

**Spoilers: In the next chapter, Ayanami's/Verloren's plan should be put in to action, and the fun **_**really**_** begins! :D**

**Thanks for reading, and have a good day! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm so sorry for the late update! I said I would update early.. but I didn't expect my hectic schedule :l**

**Review time! (A BIG THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED!)  
TheParadoxicalOtaku: Yay! You definitely made my day(s)!  
smallpumpkin: Glad you like it!  
mystic-dawn: That could have been awesome if it wasn't too late. Oh well.  
Dawnshine: Noooope, he's younger than Claire.  
Morgana the witch: Glad you like it. I'll try.  
Hi: Hi, Sure, dude! **

* * *

"_Daddy, why are you sad?"_

_With his head in his hands, he sighed and looked at me, his eyes full of grief yet all the while trying to pull a smile for my sake._

"_The prince.." his voice cracked, smile coming out as more of a grimace._

"_Tiashe?" I asked worriedly, "Why? What's wrong with him?" I panicked, just seeing dad looking so tormented.. _

_He just sat there, thinking, and said nothing. The silence was deafening, and could not be contained by these mere walls._

"_Dad.." I said, but it only came out as a whisper._

_Each second that passed by tortured me._

"_Claire," he managed to say, "Tiashe is gone now."_

"_He's dead." He held back tears, for what looked like the 10__th__ time today, a pool of sorrow in his eyes._

"_N-no he's not." I tried to convince, for him and for myself. "He's not dead! I played with him! JUST THIS MORNING!" I yelled, my voice unusually high._

"_HE'S NOT DEAD!" I sobbed, and dad tried to comfort me, but I walked away._

"_Claire.." he called, "Claire!" his voice dripping with sadness. I hear a faint shuffling sound, with my dad calling me over and over again._

"_He's not dead.. I'll show you." I walked out of the door, and then sprinted into a run towards the Raggs castle._

The memory started shifting.

"Wait.. Tiashe.."

"_Not again.." I groaned and faced Verloren, yet again still waiting with the same chess board._

"_Why, Raggs child, you act as if you're not fond of our connection." He said smugly. Insane, sane, insane.._

_Sitting down on the chair opposite of him, I kept a blank expression. I immediately moved a pawn._

"_Why do you keep making this connection? I already said that I don't want a deal, and nothing will change that." I muttered, looking away._

"_You say that your decision is final, when it is obviously not." He said coldly, "What if.." he moved a pawn, "I make you a more promising offer?"_

"_WHY?" I yelled, completely ruining my poker face. "Why are you going through all this trouble trying to negotiate with me! What kind of __**sick**__ information would be __**that**__ valuable?"_

_I glared at him, yet he didn't seem affected at all. _

"_You're slowly regaining your memories." He said coldly. "Figure it out yourself."_

_I moved another pawn. 'I don't need his deal. I can regain my memories back by myself.' I tried to convince myself. _

_He moved a knight, and as if reading my mind, "Perhaps I should offer you more, other than your memories." He smirked, and my eyes widened. I mouthed to myself, 'How?' How can he read my mind?_

"_It's written all over your face." He grinned wickedly, "You want something more."_

_My hand twitched, reaching for my bishop and moving it to B5, pinning his knight._

"_What do you plan to offer?" I asked, maybe a little interested._

_He moved his pawn forward, threatening my bishop. "I can offer you many things, yes. Although, most of which would not satisfy you."_

_I moved my bishop to the side, and he asked, moving his other knight, "What would it be that you desire at this moment?"_

_When I could've just ignored him and stayed away from his trap, I actually thought about it._

'_What I desire right at this moment..?' I contemplated, and tried thinking of all of the things I would ever want.._

"_To never have this connection with you __**ever**__ again." I said bluntly, and moved my knight. I expected him to, at the least, get angry at me, but no. He's mouth twitched into a smirk,_

"_Yes, if per say, you would triumph over me in a game of chess, I will grant you your memory back, __**and**__ never again, make a connection with you." His smirk twitched into a maniacal grin, and he moved his knight. He continued, "Although, If I triumph over you, though.. You shall hand over the other half of Vertrag and information that I require."_

"_Wouldn't that be a more promising offer?" _

_I have to admit, it was rather tempting.. but then again.._

_I looked back at the board, and there was __**no way**__ in hell I was ever going to win this game!_

"_I wouldn't win over you in a game of chess even if we played 50 times!" I yelled, completely damaging my pride. He seemed amused at me._

"_If I offer you 60 games of chess, and if, per se, you would be able to triumph at least __**once**__, then the proposition would be in your favour." He offered, the smirk still clear on his face. I don't understand what he just said._

"_So, you're saying that, if we play 60 games of chess, and I'm able to win at least __**once**__, then you give me my memory and never again make this connection with me?" I asked suspiciously._

"_Precisely." He grinned maniacally._

_Now that I think about it, it does sound like a really good deal to me. Does he really think that I won't be able to win at least __**once**__? I don't think I suck __**that**__ much at chess.. _

"_But, if you fail to win in any of the 60 games, then you shall hand over the other half of Vertrag, and the information." He repeated, then once again, my doubts returned._

_I thought it over and over. This seemed like a big gamble, and I didn't even know what the information was that he wanted._

'_You might get lucky and win at least once, though.' A voice in my head told me, tempting me._

"_No.." I hesitated, and looked back at the board, "No deal."_

"_Hesitation." He shook his head in disapproval. "Make the right decision, raggs child. Take your time to deliberate your decision."_

"_I already said it. No-"_

"-deal."

"Gooooood morning, squirt!" Lance yelled cheerily, shaking my left shoulder.

_Whack!_

"OW!" Lance clutched his left cheek on the ground, with me towering over him.

"RAAAAH! DON'T. WAKE. ME. UP. EVER. AGAIN!" I hit him with a pillow with every word.

"WAAAAH! I didn't know that you're not a morning person! Just go back to sleep and stop hitting me!" he pleaded, trying to crawl away from me.

I stopped and slumped on the bed, "It's not that.." I sighed, running my hands through my hair. "It's not the sleep.. it's just that.." _Dream_. "Gah, forget it!" and I stood up, grabbing clothes from my drawer while Lance stared at me curiously.

"If it's not the sleep, then why are you so mad about me waking you up?" he asked, getting up from the floor.

"I don't want to talk about it.." I muttered, and then thought twice.

"It's nothing, really." I assured him, frowning. "But seriously, don't wake me up when I'm sleeping ever again." I said seriously.

'_What ever happened to Tiashe, though?'_ I thought, and quickly decided to forget about it.

"You know, Frau and glasses brought you here last night." Lance said.

"By glasses, you mean Castor, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, him." He shrugged. "They said you fell asleep in the library."

"Oh."

Now that I thought about it, I don't remember walking back here last night. I shrugged and made a mental note to thank them later on. After grabbing a clean, neatly folded uniform and some underwear, I stared at Lance.

"What?" he asked, completely oblivious.

"Get out."

"What? WHY?" he complained.

"I'm going to change." I deadpanned.

"Then change!" he rolled his eyes.

"I'm a girl, and you're a guy. I don't wanna take my clothes off with you still in the room." I huffed.

"Really, Claire?" he sighed. "Even with the fact that were opposite sexes, we're both still human("No we're not." I muttered). It would be _really_ sexist if I get to change my clothes when you're in the room, but you won't when I'm in the room. So to be fair, we should agree that I can be in the room even if you're changing your clothes." He proclaimed, making different hand gestures throughout his speech.

"..."

"..."

"Out." I pointed towards the door.

* * *

"How many floors left?"

"8 more." Frau answered, and I groaned, enduring the heavy load of Caustic lime on my back.

"So, how's having Lance as your partner going?" he asked, trying to make conversation.

"It's.. well.." I trailed off, not really knowing what to say. "Well, he hasn't really done anything wrong. Although, he did protest about having to leave the room whenever I change my clothes." I mused.

He snorted, "You make him leave the room? When he changes, does he make you leave the room?" he asked, trying to prove something.

"No, I basically just turn around. Why?" I asked

"Well, if it were me, I would have protested, too." He made a perverted grin. "I don't see why it's so wrong to take off your clothes even when a guy's in a room."

"There are _so_ many things wrong with it!" I argued, a blush creeping onto my cheeks.

"You're turning red." He teased, which made me blush even more. He laughed.

"How come when it's a guy that changes clothes, you don't have to leave." He smirked. "Maybe it's because you secretly like it when a guy takes off their clothes."

"I do _not_ like it!" I yelled, embarrassed. "Idiot!"

"Then why?"

"Because." I said bluntly.

"That's not a reason."

"Why are we talking about this?" I mumbled. "Oh and by the way, thanks for taking me to my dorm room last night." I said, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, yeah. No problem, munchkin." I shrugged.

"So, how many floors left?" I asked.

"6 more."

"..."

"So," Frau began, "If I started taking my clothes off right now, does that mean that you won't leave?"

"Idiot."

* * *

"Hmm.." I hummed as I walked along a deserted corridor. I still had an hour before my training, so I had at least that much time to get lost in the church before I find someone to help me.

I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going, so I took the time I had to think about Verloren's deal.

I know it's wrong to consider it.. but then again, it's tempting. What if by chance, I could win once? Then I can gain my memory back and **never** again have to face Verloren.

But still, it's a big gamble. 60 games and I might just lose every one of it.

'_Don't let him manipulate you..'_

I know, but-

'_Do not fall prey to his trap..'_

Well yes, but what if-

GAH. I'm not even supposed to be considering this! He's planning something! This just seems too easy!

Whether I win over him in a game of chess or not, he'll probably still get what he wants!

I continued to mentally battle against myself until-

"Oof!" I accidentally hit one of the pillars.

Wasn't I just walking straight forward? How did I get here?

I glared at the pillar, grumbling curses until I heard someone approaching.

I took a peek, hiding myself behind the pillar, and spotted Bishop Bastien and another bishop I'm not familiar with.

And of course, they, too, saw me.

"Claire? What are you doing?" Bishop Bastien chuckled.

"Ah, nothing. I just got lost, and I accidentally hit this pillar.." I laughed nervously, and they sweatdropped.

"Claire, I believe you're not yet familiar with Bishop Jerome yet?" he asked, gesturing to the bishop with him, and I shook my head.

"I'm sorry," the bishop said, "I haven't introduced myself. I'm Bishop Jerome." He shook my hand. He had dark blue hair, narrowed black eyes, and a kind smile similar to Labrador's.

"I've heard a lot of things about a girl examinee from the other students." He added, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise." I laughed nervously. _Other people talk about me? What do they say?_

"He helps train the district 1 and 6 examinees along with me" Bastien sama explained.

I nodded and I asked, embarrassed "Erm, I don't exactly know where the training is.. so is it okay if I tag along?"

"The training takes place in the practice hall. Yes, we were just heading towards there." Bastien-sama smiled.

* * *

"_They allow girls to become bishops now?" _Ignore it.

"_Isn't she a little young to be a bishop?" _Don't mind them, Claire.

"_I heard she fell asleep in the library last night!" _Whoa, seriously? What do people say about me when I'm not in the room?

I heard the other examinees whisper among each other as I tried to exterminate a kor.

_Poof!_

I groaned. _ I thought I would never have to go through this again! _

I transferred my zaiphon into the Baculus,

_Poof!_

I frowned, and took a look around. Castor and Lance were having no trouble using their Baculus, even Frau! He could exterminate more than one kor at a time, without even showing any effort at all!

I tried again,

_Poof!_

Well, I wasn't the only one having trouble. There were some other students having a hard time, but even they could succeed in using it occasionally!

"Determination." _Wha?_

I turned around, and it was Bishop Jerome who had spoken.

"You just need some determination, and don't forget to clear your mind." He smiled.

I tried one more time, actually concentrating.

_Whoosh! _

I managed to exterminate 2 kor at the same time, and I smiled triumphantly as I watched them dissolve in the water.

"Thank you." I beamed at Bishop Jerome, and he nodded, impressed.

"Nice one, dude!" _Dude?_

"Nick! Don't just randomly talk to other people!"

I turned to the source of the voices and faced two bickering guys. The first one has a light complexion, while the other one has a much darker one.(I'm not racist! It's true!)

"I was just giving her a compliment, what's so wrong about that?" the first one retorted.

"Don't call her 'dude'! You might've offended her!" the other one scolded.

"She's facing this way!" the first one whispered loudly.

"Idiot! You talk too loud!" the other one whispered back. The first one approached me, and apologized.

"I'm sorry for complimenting you." He grinned.

"Wha? Uhm, it's okay." I laughed.

"Idiot!" The other one hit the first boy at the back of his head. "I'm sorry if my partner was rude."

"Oh, no. He wasn't." I smiled.

"I'm sorry if my partner acts like such a killjoy." The first one whispered to me. "He has issues.."

"No I do not! You're the one that has issues!" his partner snapped.

They continued bickering, forgetting about my presence, until I spoke up.

"You two seem really cool." I laughed.

"Heh, thanks." They said in unison, even rubbing the back of their necks at the same time.

"I'm Nick Weiss." The one with the light complexion said. He had messy brown hair, along with deep brown eyes. Out of the two, he seemed like the cheerful, care free one.

"Winston Schwarz." Now it was the other one with a darker complexion who introduced himself. He had a shaved head, and also brown eyes(Although, it seemed different from Nick's). Out of the two, he seemed like the caring, sensible one. Both of them were taller than me by a few inches(Ironically, they were the same height)

Both of them stuck out their hand at the same time. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were twins, even though their appearances were so much unlike each other. But they just had this.. connection that most siblings have. Maybe more than that, although I wouldn't know.

"Claire Carsten." I grinned, shaking both of their hands.

* * *

"I met two examinees today." I said, as Frau walked me towards the church's garden. '_You'll just get lost again, munchkin.' _He had told me.

"Nick and Winston." I added.

"You mean the twins?" he asked.

"They're twins?" I asked confused.

"Not really, but everyone else refers to them as 'The twins'." He explained. "They're from district 1."

"Oh." I said. "Well, they seem nice."

"They are." He shrugged. "I think it's their second time taking the exam."

"The exam is _that_ hard?" I frowned. _Now I don't think I'll be able to pass it.._

"I wouldn't say _hard._" He shrugged. "Just take it seriously and you won't have _that_ much of a hard time."

"Oh. Thanks." I smiled.

"For what?" he raised his brow. I thought about it, _Why did I thank him?_ _That was out of character for me.._

"I don't know." I shrugged.

"Meh."

* * *

"A Winkhob?" I deadpanned. I stared at the purple creature that Labrador placed in front of me. I crouched down to get a better look at it.

It basically resembled some kind of oversized purple frog with two muscular legs and webbed feet. It stared dully at me with its yellow eyes- er, eye.

"Yes, at this point, you have to be able to learn about your abilities as a ghost." Labrador explained. "Since we cannot have your abilities tested on a human being at the moment, I encourage you to make use of a winkhob."

I stared uncertainly at the purple creature, as it made some kind of gurgling sound inside its mouth.

"I'm certain that you would not purposely fatally harm this creature." Labrador added.

"Erm, how does this work, exactly?" I asked anxiously.

"I'll give you the whole time to test out your abilities on the winkhob. I'm sure you will learn more about Vertrag this way, and your training is over when I get back." He said.

"Wait, you mean you're not going to keep an eye on me while I'm training?" I frowned. But on the inside, I'm _glad_ that he doesn't have to see me make a fool of myself.

"I'm sorry, but I deemed it best if I give you the time to yourself to figure out your abilities." He smiled apologetically. "You would be the one to know about Vertrag."

"Right." I grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

"Good luck, Claire." Labrador waved as he left the garden, and I waved back.

"Ribbit."

I looked down at the winkhob, and stared at it for a few seconds.

"Don't give me that look." I scowled, changing into my ghost form.

* * *

"Maybe if I swing it like this.. maybe something'll happen?"

It's already been an hour since my training started. And to no avail, I haven't discovered _anything_. I've tried swinging my scythe in different angles, and making different hand gestures. Hell, I even tried yelling stuff like 'Powers activate!' and 'Manipulate, winkhob!'

The winkhob stared at me bored, no doubt unfazed by my ridiculous antics, even when I'm in my ghost form.

"I said stop giving me that look!" I said annoyed, even swinging my scythe dangerously near the winkhob, and yet it gave no sign of any interest at all.

I changed back into my human form and slumped to the floor. I didn't know much about Vertrag, except that he can manipulate souls and.. seal and bring back memories? If i'm the other half of Vertrag, does that mean that I can bring back memories, too?

"Ribbit!" the winkhob croaked, breaking me from my thoughts. Both of us stared at each other for 5 seconds..

Then it began hopping away from me.

It took me a while to comprehend what just happened before I chased after it.

"Ah! Wait, don't go!" I yelled, waiting for it to stop.

It didn't, and continued trying to escape. I groaned. It was fast, dammit!

When I was a few feet away from it, I jumped, lunging for its feet. I managed to grab its left foot, and I held on, keeping a _really_ tight grip!

"Ribbit! RIbbit!" it croaked, as it tried to hop away, yet failing as I held on to its foot for dear life.

"Raaaaah! Hold still! I'm not going to kill you!" I gasped as I rolled on the ground.

Then it went still.

"Huh?" I looked up and Labrador lifted the winkhob away from me.

"How was training? Have you learned anything new, Claire?" he smiled, and I sweatdropped.

"Well," I stood up from the ground, brushing the dust off my clothes. "No."

"Ah, that's fine. You'll learn how to use your abilities eventually." He reassured.

"Erm, thanks. Goodnight, Bishop Labrador!" I waved, quickly running away from the garden,

Trying to avoid the topic about Verloren's connection with me.

* * *

"Hey."

Castor looked up from the bible he was reading and gestured to the empty seat on his and Frau's table.

"Lost again?" Frau asked, not looking up from his bible.

I paused,"You know what, yes. Yes I was." I admitted, opening a random book on the table and began reading it.

"Take me to the dorms with you, okay? I forgot the way." I grinned.

"Of course." Castor chuckled.

* * *

**-Hohburg fortress-**

"Elizabeth Raggs.."

"_She is only one of my fragments, a mere replica."_

"She holds valuable information.."

"_The previous Vertrag had planned this.. That sly little.."_

"Once your decision is made, your fate shall be sealed. There is no escaping, Raggs child.."

* * *

"You're the ghost, Relikt, right?"

I asked Lance, as both of us laid down on our individual dorm beds, facing the ceiling.

"Yes. The bequeathing spirit." He said with his arms behind his head, "Why?"

"Well," I started, "You said you could see one's past. Can you see mine?" I asked hopefully.

He paused, probably thinking whether he should tell me or not. "No.. I've already tried before." He frowned. "Your memories seem.. blocked."

"Oh. Hey-_wait.." _I raised a brow, "When did you try to look through my memories?" I asked suspiciously.

He snorted. "In your sleep, of course!"

I groaned. _As creepy as I expected.._

"Did you know that you talk sometimes in your sleep, squirt?" he asked gleefully, "It's hard to understand what you say, though."

"What's with the squirt?" I asked annoyed.

"It's because you're a squirt." He retorted.

"Well, stop calling me that.." I muttered, and he asked why.

"Because it's annoying." I deadpanned.

"You don't seem to mind it when Frau calls you munchkin~" he teased

"It's different."

"Different how?"

Pause.

"I don't know!" I yelled exasperated.

"When it's Frau, you don't mind, but when it's me, you think it's annoying~!" he taunted. "You just _really _like Frau-"

"Shut up! No, I do not." I snapped, and immediately pulled the covers over me, closing my eyes shut.

This has been one strange day for me. Being woken up by Lance, bumping into a pillar, meeting twins, _thanking Frau_, training with winkhobs, admitting to _Frau_ that I got lost, flustered by Frau(Oh wait, that happens all the time.), _thanking Frau_(Oh, I said that already..)..

But then again, some part of me enjoys it(No, not Frau!). How unusual everything turned out the moment I entered the church.

What the hell is wrong with me?

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, squirt."

* * *

**And, yes. Bishop Jerome, Nick, and Winston are my OC's as well. :)**

**Nick and Winston are actually based from people I know in real life.  
And again, i'm TRULY sorry for the late update(And if the chapter was kinda short..).**

**Any questions? Put it in a review or just tell me what you guys think. I love you readers so much! I'll update again soon, so have a nice day! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**HOLY SCHMOWZOW! I AM SO SORRY! I never meant to update this late.. T_T**

**School is starting on June 6 and the preparation is killing me! Well, enough ranting now, cuz I got a beta reader! It's Bleedingcrimson, and she is full of awesomeness! :3**

**Btw, thank you for everyone who reviewed, alerted, and favorited(?)! It all means a LOT to me.**

**Mystik-dawn: Thank you! That means a lot to me. :3**

**Thorongilanime: Does it seem that way? All I can say is that not everything is as it seems. ;)**

**Theparadoxicalotaku: It's because I'm actually in the chess team in real life, and I REALLY feel Claire's pain! Making us play chess as if our life depended on it asdfghjkl;.. I apply all the 'wisdom' that our coach keeps ranting onto us in this fic, and yeah, the elegance. Aww it's pichu! Kya!**

**Morgana the witch: Hehe, you'll see soon, thanks.**

**Maziodyne: THANK YOU YOUR REVIEW MEANS A LOT. Kept me going, actually. :)**

**P.S. I've noticed that most(Actually, EVERY) of the chapters centers on waking up then going back to sleep again. I'm trying to change this mindset, but I actually have no idea how. Any ideas? Review. :)**

* * *

"_No deal."_

_The words came out of my mouth in a monotone voice as I crossed my arms in defiance, not even bothering to glare at him for what might have been the twentieth time. It's been four days since he proposed the 60 game deal, and I'm still refusing, getting more and more uncertain as time passes. It's been driving me insane!_

_I am _**so** _not giving him what he wants!_

"_I have not even brought up the topic, and yet you are eager to make your decision." He mused, inspecting the black bishop on his side of the board. And no, I don't even want to_look _at the chess board. I_refuse _to play that horrid game._

"_What is so important about this information, anyway?" I asked, bored. "What do you plan to do with it when-" I paused, choosing my words carefully."_**If** _you get your hands on it? And why would you need the other half of Vertrag?__"_

"_What I plan to do with it is none of your concern." He answered dismissively, as if the topic is never to be discussed. But I thought otherwise,_

"_For your own selfish reasons, I suppose?" I questioned him further._

"_Only fools would waste exertion all for their own personal gain. All of that would only be in vain." He snapped, and I winced at his tone. "Tell me then, Raggs child. What would be the reason for your desire to gain back your memories?"_

_Pause._

"_I... have a good reason for that." I muttered stubbornly, and he smirked._

_In truth, I didn't. Why would I consider all of this just to gain my memory back? What did it matter if I had them back?_

_Even then, nothing would change. Maybe it was a good thing, not remembering the things that I had done in the past; things that I might have deemed unforgivable. I've been given a fresh start, with no clue of who I was. This was what other people would have wanted, right? But then again,_

_I might have had memories that were worth remembering... ones that were meant to be cherished._  
"_Not everything is what it may seem, Raggs child." He said seriously, and yet his tone... "Reasons for one's self are standards of the low."_

'_...Was he reprimanding me?' I thought, my eye twitching slightly._

_Verloren is giving me wisdom._

_I pushed the thought away and glanced at the chess board._

_Elegance was the word it portrayed. Every piece was sleek and smooth, as if it had not been touched by anxious hands like mine for the past few days. Nope, not even a speck of dust._

_I frowned at the board._

'_Such fierce competitive spirit embodied in this highly intellectual game.' Verloren had once said the other day. I, however, dislike the purpose of chess; Shackling the mind and brain so that the inner freedom of the very strongest must suffer..._

_To me, it does more harm than good. If they say it's the gymnasium of the mind- screw them. Sitting for more than ten minutes trying to think four moves ahead before even making one..._

_Too troublesome._

"_Why chess?" I asked, breaking the silence. And he answered, as if expecting this kind of question from me._

"_Chess holds its master in its own bonds. The laws of chess do not permit a free choice; you have to move whether you like it or not." He answered wisely. That explains it._

'_Now I'm beginning to question why anyone would try to teach me chess in the first place.' I inwardly sweatdropped. I mean, I kind of recall someone teaching me at some point of my life..._

"_I shall be awaiting your decision, Raggs child."_

"Ugh." I rolled off the bed and landed face-first on the floor. Ouch.

Just your typical every day morning.

"_I shall be awaiting your decision, Raggs child."_I mocked childishly, "Pfft. He always says that..."

Lance wasn't in the room, since he always got up before me, not bothering to wake me up (thank God!). I glanced at the desk and saw a note along with a small round object. I read it, despite already knowing what it would say.

_Good morning, squirt! You look like you could use some sugar, so here's a piece of candy._

_~Lance_

_P.S. Go polish my mirror, will you?_

I expected as much. I examined the candy, and it was still the same as the ones he left before. It was hard candy with a brown wrapper that had 'Candy' written all over it. Still coffee flavoured. Where did he get these, anyway?

Noticing my pale features and how weary I've been, Lance would comment on how my blood sugar must be low. The bags under my eyes didn't help matters either, since on some nights, I attempted not to sleep to avoid Verloren's connection(failing, though). Even the nuns have noticed! I've taken note on how they've tried to sneak some sugar in my meals (yes, sugar on eye fish stew *shudders*).

I popped the candy into my mouth and grabbed some clothes from the drawer, deciding on whether I really _should_ polish his mirror.

I mean, he _is_ the only one who uses it.

Deciding not to, I quickly change my clothes before Lance _accidentally_ enters the room while I'm undressing.

Again.

* * *

"Let me guess, 18 floors?" I asked Frau dryly, playing with what's left of the hard candy in my mouth.

"Actually, it's 20 floors." Frau corrected, and I scowled, enduring the heavy load on my back. Just a few more days, and it should be cleaning the hallways of the assigned floors.

That's gotta be better than carrying a shit load of Caustic lime, right?

"You look paler than usual." Frau commented. "And that's saying something."

"Low blood sugar." I lied, a little too quickly perhaps.

"Yeah, sure." He muttered sarcastically, not believing me. "You know you're a _really_ good liar, right, munchkin?"

"Hmph." I huffed. "Hell, I wouldn't know what's wrong with me these days. Lance says it _is_ low blood sugar, and even the nuns think so."

"I'm pretty sure that you've had _too much_ sugar these days." He rolled his eyes. "I tasted the eyefish stew that Sister Athena served you yesterday when you weren't looking. It tasted nasty if you ask me."

I looked sceptically at him. "You tasted my stew when I wasn't looking?"

"Yeah. Full of sugar." He scrunched his face in disgust. And I decided to ignore the fact that he- err, tasted _my_ stew.

Which I tasted.

Which both of us tasted.

Which both of us tasted with our saliva.

"Oh, okay." I shrugged.

* * *

"Claire-chan~! We prepared this meal especially for you! We hope you like it!" Sister Rosalie chirped, placing a fresh croissant on my plate. I stared at it uncertainly.

I mean, sure, it may look warm and delicious. Heck, my imagination pictured the meal with hearts floating around it.

But right now, I'm not too sure about eating anything that was 'made especially for me'.

"Oh, wow. You didn't have to." I laughed nervously. "Really..."

"Looks good." Castor commented. _Oh, if only he knew..._

I slowly held the croissant closer to my mouth, I even considered excusing myself out of this dilemma, if it weren't for Sister Rosalie's anticipating look.

I bit quickly into it, much like the first time I tasted eyefish stew...

Apparently, it didn't taste as good as the stew.

"Mother of-" I coughed madly as I accidentally gulped the piece of croissant, even standing up and flailing my arms around.

Everyone froze, and stared at me confused, shocked, or they just didn't know what the hell was my problem.

"Gah- WATER!" I managed to blurt out, and sister Libelle rushed towards me, handing me a glass of water.

I quickly drank it, the** _insanely_** sweet piece of bread managing to slide down my throat.

THAT WAS TOO SWEET! Hell, if I didn't know better, I'd say they were trying to kill me! Just one small piece of bread was enough to drive me insane... I shuddered.

I panted for air, and when I managed to recover from my 'seizure', everyone was still staring at me. It's a good thing there were only a few people in the dining hall, or else I would've died right on the spot of embarrassment.

"So," Frau began. "How was it?"

_**Whack!** _Castor whacked him upside the head.

"It's _really_ sweet." I managed to say, my voice unusually rough.

"Oh...! We're so sorry!" Sister Rosalie exclaimed. "I knew we put too much sugar on it... I'm very sorry!"

"No, it's okay!" I comforted her awkwardly, as she looked ready to burst into tears. "It's not really your fault... It's, uh... Well, I'm fine."

"Claire, please accept our apologies." Sister Libelle pleaded. "It's just that we thought you could need some sugar... Your health looks awful lately..."

Lance nodded solemnly.

"No, I'm okay, really. You don't need to worry about me, I'm fine." I assured them, a little flustered. The other occupants of the dining hall resumed back to their businesses.

"Sorry, Claire-chan!" Sister Athena called from the kitchen.

"S'okay." I laughed.

"You made a real commotion out of it, munchkin." Frau chuckled, and I blushed.

"It's not my fault!" I argued.

"Claire-chan! Here's your breakfast." Sister Rosalie placed another croissant on my plate. "We didn't put much sugar in it, so we hope you like it!"

I stared at it skeptically, but then again, I _was_ starving. And so I quickly bit into it.

I burst into a grin.

"Thanks. It's perfect." I gave a thumbs up.

* * *

"You have a beautiful voice, you know that?" I told Razette, and she smiled as thanks.

I was lazing around at the church's fountain, and listened to Razette singing earlier. At the moment, I talked to Razette and thankfully, she listened intently. There was nothing else to do since holy mass was already over and training didn't start for a few more hours.

"I like listening to you sing at times like this. I can't find Castor and Lance anywhere, and apparently, Nick and Winston are busy, you know, the twins? I heard them arguing about something or another in their room." I ranted.

Razette shifted her face into Frau, and I laughed.

"Frau is... well, he's in the library right now. He spends most of his time studying these days." I shrugged.

Razette tilted her head to the side, the confusion clear on her face.

"I know, shocker, huh?" I mused. "I used to check up on him and survey whether he really _was_ studying or not."

"He's really starting to take the exam seriously..." I drifted off, and frowned slightly.

"He's ahead of me." I sighed. "For a moment, I once thought that I've already surpassed him. I guess it was wrong of me to misjudge Frau."

I didn't say anything after that, and neither did Razette (though, I'm not exactly sure if she can).  
After the long minutes of silence, Razette began to sing, and I smiled at the way her serene voice could calm me.

I appreciated the moment, more than I should have. I decided to forget all of my worries, none of the training and chess crap, to forget about the world. I mean, there's nothing wrong with being selfish for _just_ a few moments, right?

I'll probably never get this kind of opportunity again, not even in my dreams.

* * *

"H-how many more laps... until this is over?" I panted as Lance and I ran what was probably the fifth lap around the church grounds. And in case you've forgotten, Barsburg church was _huge_.

"One more, squirt." Lance grinned, and I scowled at his enthusiasm. Every Monday, Friday, and Saturday, all of the examinees were assigned to run seven laps around the church either in the morning, or afternoon. In this case, it was the latter.

"Slow down!" I complained, as Lance was _way_ ahead of me.

"Tired, munchkin?" Frau teased as he and Castor ran past us- well, me at least.

"No, no I'm not." I huffed, and urged my legs to go faster. I looked at the other examinees and I sweatdropped. Was I _really_ the only one who's getting tired?

When I caught up with Lance and the others, I fumed.

"What's the point in this?" I asked exasperated.

"To build your stamina." Castor answered. "I'm sure that after a while your body should get used to this exercise."

"_This_ is exercise?" I yelled flabbergasted. I think I've already ran several kilometres, and I'm actually surprised that my legs haven't fallen off. Hell, I can't even feel them anymore.

"What's up, Claire?" My jaw dropped as Nick and Winston waved simultaneously as they passed by, completely cheerful and not even tired at the least!

"Dude, stop running ahead of me!" Nick yelled at Winston.

"Idiot! You're just too slow!" Winston argued, and they ran ahead of me, bickering all the while.  
I sweatdropped. Now I'm beginning to question whether everyone was stronger than me, or I was just _really _weak.

"Can't I take a break and just call it quits?" I asked Lance, and when he didn't reply, I realized he wasn't beside me anymore! An anime vein popped onto my head.

No one was beside me anymore! They all ran ahead of me!

I ran faster, grumbling curses under my breath.

* * *

"Eh? Where's the squirt?" Lance asked confused. Castor and Frau looked around as well, all the while still running.

"I think we accidentally left her behind." All of them sweatdropped.

"The squirt must be furious right now." Lance chuckled.

* * *

"Almost... there..." I panted as I saw the starting line, which was the church's fountain. It was already sundown and waiting over there were Castor, Frau, Lance, and even the twins.

I waved shakily to them, and before I knew it, my knees buckled up and my body toppled to the ground.

"..."

"..."

"Well, don't you guys just stand over there! HELP ME!" I yelled irritated, and they all ran up to me, the twins helping me off the ground.

"You okay, munchkin?" Frau asked.

"Well, I'm alive, I guess." I frowned, wincing as I moved my right leg. Lance poked it experimentally, and I slapped his hand away.

"Fortunately, none of your legs are broken or anything." Castor observed. "Can you walk?"

I tried taking a step with the twins supporting me, and I cringed at the wave of pain. It frickin hurt like a bitch, but still, at least I managed to walk.

"I think I can walk." I bit my bottom lip, refraining myself from cussing out loud with every agonizing step I took.

"_Please _tell me that I don't have to go to the infirmary." I groaned. God, save me from the trouble of going to the infirmary.

"Don't worry, since it's nothing Bishop Labrador can't fix." Castor assured, and I sighed in relief.

"We'll take it from here. Thank you, Nick and Winston." Castor thanked the twins.

"Yeah, thanks, guys." I grinned.

"It's no problem-"

"-At all, dude."

When they realized that they finished each other's sentence, they glared at each other. I laughed. They have this habit of calling almost everyone 'dude' and finishing each other's sentences.

"Come on, munchkin." Frau gestured to get a move on, and I stuck my tongue out at him.

I wobbly walked over to him, and let him carry me on his back.

For some reason, I felt used to this.

I waved in goodbye to the twins as they went their separate way.

"So, is Bishop Labrador presumably in the garden?" Lance asked. I almost forgot he was there.

"I believe so." Castor adjusted his glasses.

"Are you guys sure you want to accompany me there? I mean, I'm sure that you have other matters to attend to..." I fussed.

"Not really." Lance shrugged.

"Don't worry, it's fine, Claire." Castor smiled.

"Yeah." Frau smirked. "And for the record, I never really thought you could handle running seven laps around the church."

"Whatever..." I muttered. Lance caught my attention, and he gave an amused smirk.

'_You like him!'_ he mouthed to me.

'_No! Shut up!'_I glared at him.

* * *

"Ouch!"

"You're such a drama queen, munchkin."

"You did that on purpose!" Frau and I kept bickering back and forth throughout the whole trip towards the garden, much to the dismay of Castor and the delight of Lance ("It's adorable how you two bicker!"). We even passed by Bishop Jerome, who only nodded nonchalantly and bid us a good evening, not even asking about the current situation.

"We're here." Castor sighed in relief.

"Bishop Labrador?" I called, and hoped he'd show up. Not wanting to resort myself to... singing.

Never again.

"Good evening, everyone." Labrador walked up to us, carrying a glass of... er, something. All of us greeted him back, and seeing as he didn't ask why Frau was carrying me, I assumed that he already knew.

"Claire, please drink this." He handed me the glass with a greenish liquid that emitted smoke. I stared at it, not sure what to do.

"It's for your leg." He added.

"Oh. So you knew?" I asked, and he nodded. I glanced at the others, and they didn't seem surprised at all.

Huh, must have something to do with being Profe, I guess.

I drank the warm green liquid, and strangely, it tasted a lot like cinnamon with an aftertaste of... was that ginger?

I finished the whole glass, and almost instantly, my right leg began to feel a lot better. Not entirely healed, but still a lot better.

"My leg feels better. Thank you, Bishop Labrador." My voice came out raspy, and I coughed, trying to clear my throat.

"You're welcome. The drink is only to relieve the pain, so it is most likely that tomorrow morning, the pain will come back." He explained. "Please feel free visit me if you need another drink."

I nodded, and then quickly remembered, "Ah, wait! What about my training?"

"I'm sure that you must be tired as of now. Would it be fine if your training will resume on Monday?" he smiled, and let me tell you, I was ecstatic!

_No more winkhobs and silly incantations that don't even work_... I cackled inwardly.

"Yes! Thank you!" I fist-pumped in the air, but I accidentally hit Frau's head (he was still carrying me).

"HEY!"

"Sorry." I apologized, yet I couldn't help but grin.

"Bishop Labrador, we're going to be heading to the dining hall, would you like to join us?" Castor asked.

"Thank you, but I must decline. I have to prepare for the evening mass first." He replied.

We all said our 'thank you's and left after that, towards the dining hall, apparently.

"Wait, why are we going to the dining hall?" I piped up.

"For dinner." Frau answered bluntly.

"Dinner?" I asked stupidly.

"It's the meal you have during evenings-"

"I know what dinner means!" I snapped.

"Then why did you ask?" he rolled his eyes.

"I, uh..." I muttered. "I didn't know we have dinner in the church." I sweatdropped.

"How come?" Lance asked.

"Usually at this time of the night, I have training with bishop Labrador so of course I wouldn't know." I frowned at my stupidity.

"Well, this time is for everyone who needs to eat before the evening mass. It's important not to skip meals too often." Castor explained.

"Oh." I nodded slowly. Note to self, have dinner more often.

"Hey, munchkin?"

"Yeah?"

"You can get off me now."

"..." I sweatdropped. "Yeah... Here's the thing..."

"I don't really _feel _like walking right now soooo..."

* * *

"Munchkin, you owe me." Frau opened the door to my dorm room and threw me on a bed, Lance's bed.

"This is Lance's bed." I pointed out.

"Eh? Well, my mistake then." Frau hauled me over his shoulders despite my protests and threw me on the other bed.

"I would've appreciated it if you didn't treat me like a sack of potatoes." I frowned.

"Just be glad that the library's near the dorms. Else I wouldn't have carried you here in the first place, munchkin." Frau shrugged.

"Pfft. Frau, you and I both know that's bullshit." I laughed. "Even if the library was on the other side of the church, you _still_ would've carried me here." I said matter-of-factly.

"Oh? What makes you think that?" he asked cockily.

"Well, I'm injured." I replied bluntly.

"Now, _that's_ bullshit." He rolled his eyes. "Labrador already gave you something to relieve the pain. I doubt that your leg's still in _so_ much _agony _that you can't even walk by yourself." He retorted.

"Yeah, well, you're just too soft, Frau." I stuck my tongue out.

"Oh really?" he grinned maniacally, and- wait a minute, did I just shiver?

"I'm too soft? We'll see about that..." he took a menacing step closer, and I laughed nervously.

"Ahaha... I was just kidding... You know that right, Frau?" I sweatdropped. "Right?"

He laughed wickedly, and when he took another step closer... I instantly panicked and stood defensively on the bed.

"AH! I was just kidding!" I threw my pillow at him, and he dodged it, taking another step.

"HOLY SHIT I WAS JOKING FRAU! YOU'RE NOT SOFT, DAMMIT!" I threw two more pillows at him, freaking out as he laughed evilly, not affected at all at anything I threw at him.

I threw my rucksack at him, "D-don't come any closer!"

"So I'm too soft, you say, munchkin?" he grinned. To say that he was freaking me out was an understatement. I considered all my options. I was out of pillows, so maybe I could jump onto Lance's bed and throw his as a distraction and make my escape towards the door-

He took another step, and I made a high squeaking sound. Okay, too late for escaping now.

"S-stay back!" I grabbed the stone placed on my desk and raised it above my head threateningly. "I have a stone and I'm not afraid to use it!"

He took another step, and I swear, I think I could hear terrorizing music in the background.

"AHHH I'M SORRY! FRAU YOU'RE NOT SOFT, DAMMIT! I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL NEVER CALL YOU SOFT EVER AGAIN!" I was about to burst into anime tears, and then Frau doubled up on the floor, clutching his stomach in boisterous fits of laughter.

"Y-you should have seen yourself, munchkin!" he cracked up. "You were scared shitless! '_Don't come any closer! I have a stone!'_" he mocked and I flushed from embarrassment.

"Stop laughing! It wasn't that funny..." I frowned. I lowered the stone I was clutching, and noticed that it was the one that May gave me. I gently placed it back on the desk.

"_Oh, Frau! I'm so sorry! You're not soft, please don't come any closer!"_he laughed louder. I made a frustrated noise and grabbed the pillows I threw at him on the floor. Maybe I should've considered using my zaiphon..

"Can we _please _just pretend that didn't happen?" I glared at him, annoyed at his amusement.

"That was priceless! I mean, really, Claire. What did you think I was going to do?" he grinned mischievously.

"I don't know..." I muttered.

_WAIT A MINUTE!_

"Whoah, wait! Did you just call me Claire?" I raised a brow. He said my name? I wasn't just imagining that when he really called me munchkin, right?

"Changing the subject are we?" Frau taunted.

"No, really! You called me by my name." I frowned.

He stopped laughing and paused momentarily. "Yeah..." he nodded, then smirked." I guess I did, munchkin."

"Mm. Well, that's nice." I nodded, feeling rather pleased(Though, I wouldn't show it, of course).

"Now out." I tried to push him towards the door, yet couldn't even make him budge.

"What? _Why_?" he complained, and I swear, I could hear the pout in his voice.

"Becaaaause." I rolled my eyes, pretending it was no big deal, "I'mgoingtochangemyclothes..." but it most certainly was.

"What was that?" he asked confused.

I sighed, and tried to keep a straight face. "I'm going to change my clothes."

At first he still seemed confused, but then he grinned mischievously when realization dawned on him. "Ohhhhhh. I see..."

I groaned. "Just go!" I pushed him again, and he decided to walk towards the door.

"Alright, alright. Now, are you _sure_ you don't want to head to the library?" he asked for what was probably the third time tonight.

"Yes, I'm sure. Thanks for bringing me here, anyway." I called as he shut the door.

I sighed in relief and took a moment to calm myself. I immediately took off the poncho on my uniform, and froze when I realized my obliviousness.

"FRAU, GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!" My zaiphon hit the door, rattling it violently and leaving a mark that wrote 'FUCK' in bold, ancient writing.

"I was just leaving, sheesh!" Frau yelled from behind the door, and I caught a glimpse of him passing by from the gap on the door.

I flushed at my stupidity, muttering different things as I grabbed a shirt and a pair of shorts from the drawer and changed.

"Stupid... What if I hadn't noticed sooner? Oh God Oh God..." I muttered, completely distressed. I even glanced back at the door every once in a while to make sure that he wasn't there, although, I'm sure that I would've been able to sense him.

I frowned at the mark I left at the door. '_FUCK'_ it said. Meh, I'll cover that up tomorrow. Somehow.  
"Stupid, stupid, stupid..." I trudged to my bed, and automatically lay down.

"..."

"..."

"Damn, maybe I should've went to the library with Frau..." I said aloud, the boredom already starting to consume me.

"Too late for that now..." I huffed.

* * *

I stared up at the ceiling for what seemed like hours, though I'm sure it's been no more than ten minutes. I considered sleeping, but then I remembered that it would only lead me to Verloren's connection, _which_ I have been trying _so hard_ to avoid.

Visiting other examinees wasn't an option, either. Everyone else was probably at the church attending mass. Maybe I should change back to my uniform and join Frau at the library...

Wait, no! I'm not _that_ desperate, right?

"Would you like anything else, young mistress?" a voice asked from the window, and I whipped around so fast, that I accidentally punched the wooden desk beside my bed.

A blonde maid sat at the edge of the window, seemingly dazed as she smiled at me. I already knew that there was definitely something wrong. What am I dealing with? Kor? Wars?

"Does the young mistress want anything else? Granting it would be my pleasure." She smiled sweetly, cocking her head to the side.

"No thanks, I'm good." I slowly backed away towards the door, ignoring the throbbing pain in my hand. I tensed at her crestfallen reaction, and swore under my breath when I realized that I didn't have my Baculus.

Bony skeletal wings protruded out of her back, and I immediately jumped into a defensive stance.  
"Are you certain, young mistress? I would be happy to attend to your every will..." she walked towards me, and I bit my lip.

"Look, lady. I don't wanna hurt you so..." Then my eye twitched.

_What am I doing?I'm one of the seven ghosts, dammit!_ I rolled my eyes inwardly and summoned my scythe, pretending to be bad-ass, when in reality; I didn't really know what I was supposed to do with it.

"Ah, a replica of master, I see." She smiled. "An empty vessel."

"What are you talking about?" I scowled."Did _he_ send you to me?"

"Such an honor... but no. I have come here of my own accord, Vertrag." Her kind demeanour just a while ago was replaced with a disgusted expression.

"For now, I must take my leave." She gracefully jumped out of the window, and flew away using her skeletal wings. I gritted my teeth in frustration as I watched her escape.

"What? Come back here, dammit!" I called out, and to no avail, the kor didn't listen.

"Ugh! Why am I so useless?" I glared daggers at the kor, enraged at how I let it get away. Pathetic!

Just when the kor was almost out of my view, a scythe similar to the one I was gripping swiftly cut the kor's wings, dissolving it in the process. The body of the maid fell in mid-air, and I watched awestruck as a skeletal figure on the roof caught her.

"_Fest..._"I whispered, and a hand rested on my shoulder. I didn't even have to turn around to know who it was.

"Judging from the looks, it must've been a long night for you, squirt." Lance commented.

"Yeah..." I muttered. Fest looked my way, and he nodded. _He made it look so easy while I ended up failing pathetically..._I thought, the disappointment flooding over me.

When Castor finally disappeared along with the purified body, I walked back to my bed and sat down. Lance observed me quietly.

"You know, if you're disappointed, you can just forget about what happened." Lance finally spoke up.

"I'm just _useless_, huh?" I laughed humourlessly, and at some other time I would've cringed at my tone.

"Castor can tie souls together, Frau can sever bonds, you can look into the past... but what about me?" I asked bitterly.

"You can manipulate souls." Lance answered. "That's something, right?

"What good can that do? I don't even know anything else about Vertrag. Hell, I'm not even _complete_. I'm just... useless." I ranted on and on, though most of it only came out in a whisper. I glared at the mark on my hand.

"Being incomplete doesn't change anything." Lance told me seriously, getting ready for bed. "Whatever abilities you have as a ghost, it'll never be useless. I'm not going to tell you to stop sulking, but you gotta figure things out for yourself, squirt."

I stared at him, and his words hit me greatly. Like a slap in the face. (Although, I'm really more concerned on how he suddenly turned serious!)

If I translated it to a much simpler version, it would be like '_Being half a ghost doesn't make you weak. Whatever it is that you can do, has gotta be worth something. I'm not exactly telling you to stop whining like a bitch, but you're on your own, squirt.'_

Although, I liked Lance's version a lot better actually. The thought made me smile _just_ a little bit. And Lance, seeing this, just _had_ to ruin the moment.

"Yes, I _can_ be smart when I want to." He added smugly. I rolled my eyes.

"Sure." I smirked. I was feeling a little better already.

"And by the way," Lance started, "Care to explain the profanity written on the door?" gesturing to the noticeable 'FUCK'.

"Yeah, maybe in the morning." I smiled to myself. Just a few moments ago, there was me being emotional and Lance getting all serious. Now it's all back to normal.

"Right. Good night."

"Mm." I closed my eyes, and immediately all the disappointment came rushing back. So much for Lance's words of wisdom...

I thought the seven ghosts were supposed to be beings with extraordinary abilities? Well, I proved that fact wrong.

Now I _really_ feel like crap.

* * *

"_What a surprise." Verloren smirked. "You seem rather willing to enter this connection. A change of heart, perhaps, Raggs child?"_

'_Don't let him manipulate you...' The voice of Labrador warned._

'_Do not fall prey to his trap...'_

_I took a deep breath, extended my hand out to him, and the words came out of my mouth firm and final._

"_I accept your deal."_


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm sorry for updating so late. I want to blame school, but I don't wanna make any excuses for my tardiness. -_-**_  
_

**Review time~**

**mystik-dawn: Oops, I accidentally broke fourth wall. Thanks for pointing that out. Yep, Claire has heard A LOT of colorful words during her travels. The romance is eventual- reaaaly eventual, at that. I have.. random fluffy dreams at night about them. They haunt me *Shudders*.. Anywho, congratulations! :D**

**Distant love: Oh, thank you! I appreciate it! Glad you liked it. :3**

**Morgana the witch: Erm.. no, I don't know who you are, sorry. Are you in my class? I'm glad that someone I know actually reads my stories, but I REALLY wanna know who you are. c:**

**Before you read, I'd like to say this chapter was beta-ed by: Bleedingcrimson. Thanks a lot, dude! May cookies and cheesecake be with you~!**

* * *

_And so Claire Carsten's doomsday clock strikes to one._

"_A chess clock?" I stared dumbfounded at the contraption beside the chess board. Basically it was two clocks beside each other, with two buttons on top of each one._

_And yet again, it held that same elegance that I'm sick and tired of._

"_Every game has its end. The chess clock's function is to keep track of the time every player takes to make a move." Verloren explained. "When your time runs out, you automatically lose the game."_

_I nodded, trying to take everything in. Time was definitely another way I can mess this up, if not by simply getting checkmated._

_"Sixty games then. This counts as the first game?" I asked, and he nodded. I tried to calm myself, since nervousness was another factor that can lead me to defeat._

_'Sixty games, and I only need to win one.' I thought. 'I can manage that much, right?'_

"_For every game, each player is given twenty-five minutes. For every rule that you manage to break, two minutes will be deducted from your remaining time." He smirked. "Do you require to be familiar with the rules of chess?"_

_I thought about it, and I shook my head._

_I mean, I'm pretty sure that I know how to play chess. I doubt that I'll manage to break any stupid rules..._

"_Alright, Raggs child." He nodded, and extended his hand towards the chess clock, I tensed in my seat._

'_There's no turning back now, Claire.' I told myself._

"_The first game may now start." He pushed the button, and immediately the clock on my side started ticking._

_I jumped a little and felt myself trembling as I stared at the clock. But then I remembered that I can't waste any time. I immediately moved a pawn and relaxed in my seat._

_A few seconds passed, and Verloren stared at me amused. It was a bit unnerving._

"_What?" I hissed. Why isn't he moving a piece?_

"_After every move you make, you must __**always**__ punch the timer on top the chess clock to start the time of your opponent." He explained, and I flushed in embarrassment._

_I quickly smacked the button of the chess clock, a little harder than I should have. It was only then that he moved the opposing pawn and punched the chess clock. I moved a knight, and punched._

_Verloren shook his head in disapproval and stopped the clocks. "When punching a chess clock, you must __**always **__make use of the hand you have used to move your piece. __**Never**__ the other hand." Then he deducted two minutes from my time._

_To say that I was pissed was a complete understatement._

"_What kind of __**stupid**__ rule is that! What does it matter if I use a different hand?" I yelled, completely outraged._

"_**That**__ is a rule of chess. You are not to defy the rules, else a deduction." He snapped, and I frowned._

_I definitely don't know what I'm doing any more._

_The game continued on, and thankfully, I didn't break any more rules. Ten minutes have passed, I think. Every second was agonizing, and the silence was deafening. Only the constant ticking of the chess clock and the flickering of our surroundings assured me that time hasn't stopped around us._

_Neither of us spoke, fully absorbed in the game. At some point, I looked up from the board when it was his turn, trying to snap back into reality, if you can consider this dream part of 'reality', that is._

_Verloren's form was that of the same man in a military uniform; a high ranking one, judging from his appearance. His face, usually showing a sadistic side or no emotion at all, was contorted in concentration, if you looked close enough. Like a man of the military he is; a tactician, a strategist._

_He certainly had a beautiful form, I have to admit. And it made the corners of my mouth twitch into a grin, from the thought that I could put him into this kind of concentrated state._

_It gave me hope._

"_Checkmate." Verloren announced, and my grin faded. I hadn't suspected it, as I studied the outcome. I focused too much on getting his queen that I didn't realize that I trapped my king with my__** own**__ pieces, therefore letting his bishop put me in checkmate. I couldn't even block it with anything!_

_So much for hope._

_I tried to say something, but didn't know what. I was confused. Am I supposed to be angry, or sad, maybe? I mean, it's just one game but..._

_Then Verloren extended his hands towards me, and I stared at it._

"_The rules of chess require both players to shake hands once the game's victor has been decided." He explained formally._

_I shook his hand, and acted normal. I expected something to explode, as if touching him would have electrified me or something like that. Seriously, this is the God of death we are talking about!_

_But nothing unusual happened, and his hand felt like nothing. No body heat or anything. It just felt empty, like a limp doll hand- flickering back and forth from flesh, to a skeletal hand._

_Just like mine._

_I let go of his hand, and almost instantly-_

My eyes snapped open, and I was panting heavily.

I slowly sat up, and when I realized I was awake, different emotions that I wasn't prepared for flooded me instantly.

Guilt, frustration, regret... you name it. Wasn't everything just fine a while ago? Everything just suddenly dropped on top of me, as if waking up pushed me back to reality. I panicked, I was a mess.

It was only then that I began to understand the consequences of what I've done. _I accepted the deal!_ I cursed myself under my breath for my stupidity. One loss is now _a big deal_. That's one step closer to losing everything!

Oh God, what have I done?

Oblivious to the fact that Lance was actually in the room, observing me with a concerned stare, I continued with my panic attack.

"I lost..." I sighed, as if it could take the stress away.

"Lost what?"

My head snapped up to Lance's voice, and I froze when I realized that he had been observing me.

"Are you ok, squirt?" he raised a brow, and studied my expression carefully.

I fidgeted in my bed, and stared at my gloveless hands, suddenly interested at the mark of Vertrag.

"Of course I'm fine." I lied. "It was just a bad dream, is all."

Lance eyed me suspiciously, and I quickly shuffled out of the bed, hissing in pain when my leg was in pure agony.

Biting my lip, keeping myself from cussing, I rummaged through my drawer for fresh clothes to avoid the tension. Of course he wouldn't believe me, and yet he let the topic drop, and continued to stare at himself in the mirror. I glanced at the door, trying to find the 'FUCK' I had left yesterday, but it seemingly disappeared.

"Where's the 'fuck'?" I asked.

"Excuse me?" Lance sweat dropped. I inwardly laughed at my choice of words.

"I mean, where's the profanity I wrote on the door last night?" I asked, clearer this time.

"Ah, it seems the guardians took care of it." He muttered thoughtfully.

"What?" I raised a brow. "Guardians? What are you talking about?"

"Oh, nothing." He grinned cheekily, and I puffed my cheeks in annoyance.

"Seriously, what guardians?" I approached him, and shook his shoulders violently, "TELL ME." I hissed.

"Oh, _just_ the guardians of the you-know-what, and what not." He smirked, and walked towards the door.

"Come on! What guardians? Tell me!" I glared at him, and Lance stopped before closing the door to make his leave.

"It's nothing~" he teased, and quickly shut the door before I could use my zaiphon.

I groaned in frustration, and slammed my hand on the desk, but instantly regretting it the moment pain seared throughout my wrist.

"AH, FU-!" I almost cussed, but then whipped around abruptly when I heard a strange creaking sound. It came from the window, and from the looks of it, it must've only been the wind.

'_Yeah, that's gotta be it.' _I tried to convince myself nervously, and I headed towards the mirror to fix my hair into a high pony tail before changing.

* * *

"You okay, munchkin? You look like crap."

"Well, I _feel_ like crap, thanks." I muttered sarcastically. I've been a little edgy since I've woken up half an hour ago, glancing at every corner and seemingly restless throughout everywhere I go.

"Is cleaning the hallways better than carrying the caustic lime to each floor?" I asked curiously, as we still had thirty more floors to go. Just when my wrist and right leg are in unimaginable pain, they decide to assign us to thirty floors...

So you can imagine how proud I felt when I had no problem with it. I've learned to endure the heavy load, after a long week of doing this everyday with Frau.

"It depends." He shrugged.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see..."

"That wasn't a clear answer." I frowned. Cleaning hallways didn't sound _that_ hard...

"Well, since you'll be cleaning with me, it might not be so difficult." He grinned.

"Why you? Aren't there like, hundreds of other examinees?" I deadpanned.

"Well yeah, but I don't make the arrangements here." He rolled his eyes. "And besides, other examinees are assigned to work with us, too."

"That's good enough for me." I shrugged, and then I remembered to ask about something. "Hey, are there any guardians in the church?

"Guardians?" he raised a brow at my off topic-ness.

"Are there other guardians in the church aside from the seven ghosts?" '_The seven ghosts are considered as guardians, right?'_ I asked myself, unsure.

"Why the sudden interest?"

"Just answer the damn question." I snapped.

"Well," he started. "There are the guardians of the bridge of trials. They're spirits of the church."

"Where can I find them?" I asked.

"In the bridge of trials, obviously." he rolled his eyes, and I slapped my forehead for asking a stupid question.

"Take me there. I want to meet them." I pleaded, and even I was surprised by my sudden decision.

He stared at me sceptically for a while, and I puffed my cheeks in annoyance.

"Well?" I pressed, and Frau frowned.

"Maybe some other time, munchkin."

* * *

"'_Chess games can end by checkmate, draw, resignation or stalemate...' _Well, I could've figured that out on my own, Captain Obvious..." I muttered to myself as I was reading a certain book in the library.

Seeing as it was a Sunday, the day of rest, all of the examinees are given a day off training. Most examinees would use it as a chance for visiting their families in the other districts, to relax, or study in the library like most of the examinees around me.

Well, I guess you could say that I _was_ studying. But in my case, it wasn't _for_ the exam.

"'_Stalemate occurs when neither player can play for a checkmate.'" _I read silently from the book I was holding, which on the cover read: '_How to be a chessmaster, you ask?'._

After Bishop Labrador gave me something to relieve my pain, I immediately headed straight for the library and was actually planning to review for the exams. And I _did,_ which explained all the bibles that surrounded me..

But when I _just_ so happened to stumble upon an out of placed book involving chess, I _knew_ I had to take Verloren's game seriously. No matter _how much_ I wanted nothing to do with that wretched game.

"'_Castling helps protect the king, and moves a rook closer to the centre of the rank...'" _I read, starting to get bored. "To hell with this. Doesn't this book say anything about how to win?"

From what I've read so far, it was mostly about the chess pieces, how to notate, and some history. I flipped page after page, and perked up when I found one that was titled: 'Winning the game'.

"''_Chess games can be won by checkmate.'" _I scowled when I realized that it only talks about '_What is a checkmate?'_, '_The word_ '_Checkmate' was derived from...' _or '_Stalemate is when checkmate is no longer possible...'._

"It's the same thing over and over again. Useless book..." I glared at it, not caring if I looked crazy, sitting by myself in the library, muttering different phrases, glancing uneasily and twitching occasionally. When other examinees stared at me strangely, I would stare back at them and smile creepily. It turns out that method was effective in keeping their stares away.

I reached the last page of the book, and it talked about openings and defences.

"_The first moves of the chess game set the strategy of the rest of the game. The first moves by white are called the opening, and the first moves by black are called the defence."_ It was only in this topic that I actually got interested in.

I read intently, but got disappointed when it only gave a short discussion about the topic. I've reached the end of the book.

I sighed and started turning the pages again, hoping to find something about openings and defences that I might've missed.

My concentration was interrupted when someone tapped my shoulder, and I jumped in surprise. Without turning around, I immediately sensed the familiar presence.

"Yes?" I asked, with a hint of annoyance in my tone. Frau grabbed the book I was reading.

"Eh? Since when did you have an interest in chess?" he raised a brow, flipping the pages.

"That's none of your business." I snatched the book back, and gathered some of the bibles I had placed on my table, carrying them to the bookshelves. Frau carried the other bibles.

"So, anyway..." he started, "Since you probably have nothing to do the whole day," he paused and placed the bibles in their respective shelves, "You should come to town with me."

I was taken aback by his offer, and looked at him strangely. "You want to go to town... with _me_?"

"Yeah. I mean, you haven't explored district seven, and this is probably the only chance you'll get. And plus, you look like you could use some fresh air. If I didn't know better, I'd say you haven't slept for days." He shrugged.

"Isn't it prohibited to leave the church grounds unless you're from another district?" I asked, ignoring the part about me needing fresh air.

"This is _me_ we're talking about. I know a way to sneak out, so come on." he pestered.

"What's there to do in town, anyway?" I frowned, walking to another shelf. Frau followed me.

"A lot of stuff. Stuff you can't do inside the church... without getting caught or anything." He muttered that last part, but I heard it clearly.

"Can't you take Castor or anyone else?" I asked irritated.

"Do you really think that doll freak would let me break the rules, let alone break it _with me_?" he deadpanned, and I gotta admit, he did have a point.

"Well, I don't really fancy getting in trouble, okay? I'm a good girl." I retorted haughtily. I laughed inwardly at my statement.

"Pfft, bullshit. We're _not_ going to get in trouble. You make it sound like we're going to do drugs or something." He rolled his eyes.

"I'll still get in trouble either way." I argued.

"Would you really rather be cooped up in the library _studying_ all day, over getting the chance to be exploring district seven, munchkin?"

I paused. I mean, exploring district seven _would _be nice. But then again, the last time I made a risky decision like this, I ended up completely regretting it...

"Well?"

* * *

"You _swear_ we won't get in trouble?" I narrowed my eyes at Frau. I reluctantly agreed to go with him to town, seeing as I had nothing else to do. All the studying was starting to give me headache.

So the moment I finally accepted his offer and he told me to meet him at the fountain in ten minutes, I made a point of rushing to the dorm rooms and grabbing my travelling cloak and rucksack. Right now, everything I wore was exactly the same as when I first came to the church.

"Yes, yes. For the tenth time, we will _not_ get in trouble." He rolled his eyes. He was wearing a dark blue trench coat that probably looked a little big for him(Yet it still suited him very well...). "Don't you have any faith in me?"

I crossed my arms and looked away. For some reason, I have a really bad feeling about this...

"So, how exactly do you plan on sneaking us out?" I asked.

"Well, we can't exactly sneak from above, using the roof, since we can be easily spotted in broad daylight..." he explained, and we stopped in front of the thick stone wall that surrounded the church grounds, near the main gate.

"So we just have to sneak from below then." He cleared a bush from b**e**hind the grassy hedges, and revealed... a hole on the wall?

"What...?" I started, staring at the secret passage. It looked small, but it looked like it could fit a person like Frau. Now I was _really_ starting to have doubts about this plan. I mean really, we're going to sneak out of the church by crawling out of a hole?

Before he could explain further, chattering voices were drawing nearer to where we stood. Frau gestured me to sneak out quickly, and as much as I wanted to bail out on this, I reluctantly crawled to the other side and my face was met with a bush. When I stood up, I spit the leaves that managed their way into my mouth and brushed the dirt off my cloak.

Frau followed, and he covered the hole from this and the other side with the bush. It took a while until the voices on the other side died down, and when it did, I immediately turned on Frau.

"THIS? This was your _brilliant _plan all along?" I scowled.

"Clever, huh?" he smirked, and I sighed.

"Only you, Frau." I shook my head. "Only you could have come up with a plan like this."

* * *

"Now, if we get caught..."

"Not this again, munchkin. This is the twentieth time..."

We walked around the small town. It wasn't as big as the city of Ria, which was busy and noisy from what the rumours say. This town had some busy citizens, but none of them were noisy in any way. There were different varieties of shops that seemed familiar from when I first came to district seven; there were bars, flower shops, book stores, and many more.

"Hey, miss!" I tensed when I noticed that someone was calling _me_. "Fancy having your fortune told?" a man called from his fortune stall. I shook my head and smiled politely in return. It was only then that I realized I was out in the open, out of the safety of the church. The vulnerability was kind of making me edgy.

I hope we don't stay out too long...

"What now?" I asked, staring at a bunch of kids playing hopscotch on the side walk. When I didn't hear a reply, I asked again. "Frau?"

"Hey, Ladies." Frau flirted to the teenage girls sitting at a cafe. "Do beautiful women like you need a man like me accompany you?"

The girls giggled, finding Frau's flirting ways as charming.

I however, did not.

Frau grinned, and I whacked him upside the head, dragging him away from the cafe.

"What was that for?" he complained.

"Stop fooling around!" I huffed.

"What's so wrong with that? That's why we're here in the first place." He retorted. "Loosen up a bit, will you?" He then pulled a box of cigarettes out of his pocket, took one and lighted it. He was smoking.

I snatched the box out of his hand, and read it. It was definitely real. "D-don't smoke! It's not good for you and for the environment and- Ugh! You shouldn't be smoking at all!" I yelled at him, and he stared at me.

"Come on, it's not that big of a deal." He shrugged, and that definitely ticked me off.

"NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL?" I yelled angrily, and glared at him. "You know what, go on. Go on and smoke and flirt with other women! I don't care!" I threw my hands up and walked away, grumbling all the while.

I heard Frau calling at some point, asking about where I was going or something along the lines, but I ignored him and kept walking.

"Stupid Frau... flirting with innocent women... smoking like a bad-ass idiot." I muttered angrily, glaring at the ground. I was practically steaming. As to why I was angry, I have no clue.

I walked a few more blocks, and when I finally calmed down, I took a seat at a nearby bench. I tried to take in deep breaths and groaned.

_Why did I have to lose my cool back there and embarrass myself in front of Frau?_ I pouted, wishing that Frau will forget that ever happened. That was rather out of character for me.

I decided to take my mind off of it and head to the book store across from me. That store has caught my eye for some time now, even when I first came to district seven.

A bell jingled when I pushed the elegant oak door open, and an old man-who I assumed as the owner, greeted me a good afternoon. I smiled at the scent of the room, which was similar to that of the library. Everything was made of polished wood, and was rather suitable for rich townspeople with the same elegance to be regular customers in this store- which was definitely not me.

I greeted the old man back, and I noticed that he wasn't alone. A dog barked, and I grinned as it made its way toward me, wagging its tail as I ruffled its brown fur.

"My companion, Wen, takes a liking to young customers." The owner gestured to his dog.

"It is rare for the youth to have interest in treasures such as books." He smiled, a twinkle in his blue eyes. Like one of the wise men I've encountered in forests during my travels- eyes that show all of hardships they've been through.

I wandered aimlessly through the shelves, looking for anything interesting. Most of the books were in good condition, and I suspect that they've been polished, too. Without realizing it, I ended up in a section labelled: '_Recreation'_.

And it _just so_ _happened _to have books about chess. Fate just _loves_ to push me into the path of this game, huh?

I took a random book out of the said shelf, and found myself stroking the smooth surface of the cover.

'_Chess: Game of the century- Basilio and Freking_' in bold, ancient writing was read on the cover. I gently placed it back and grabbed several other books.

There was '_Gambits for beginners' by Jared and Erin Nob, 'Batil!' by Jeresano, 'Chess overview' by Janella Christine, 'Basic endgames' by Gloriani..._

But what really managed to catch my eye was a thick leather-bound black book- in gold letters entitled: '_Chess openings and defences'_. I tenderly opened it, flipping carefully through the pages filled with different chess tactics and strategies, with illustrations and everything!

This might be just what I need.

As I tried to find the price that was supposed to be at the back cover or at some part of the book, I hadn't noticed the old man and his dog approach me.

"Ah, yes. A wonderful chess strategist that one, Jerome Balandra. He was a brilliant chess player in his time." The old man commented, as if he knew the author on a personal level. I nodded, and as if the old man was reading my thoughts,

"You don't have to buy that book. You may borrow it if you wish." He offered, and his dog barked in agreement. "I trust that this book will be in good hands by a curious youth like yourself."

I couldn't help but smile at his kind offer. "That would be great! But, are you sure?"

He chuckled, as if reminiscing an old joke. "The desire of the youth to gain knowledge is not questionable. If a child wishes to learn chess, then you let the child learn such a game."

Child, huh? I ignored it and just chose to be happy.

"Thank you! I'll return it within the week!" I grinned, and pumped my fist in the air. The old man chuckled at my enthusiasm.

"Oh, wow!" I beamed. "Do you think I can win in a game of chess with this?"

He smiled knowingly, "One's excellence cannot be contained in a mere book or a little glass casket; like a jewel, to take it out whenever wanted. On the contrary, it can only be conserved by continuous and good practice."

I nodded slowly. "I see..."

"Now, off you go, lassie!" he cheekily accompanied me towards the exit. "Wouldn't want to keep that lad of yours waiting, now do we?"

"What lad?" I asked confused.

"Why, that blond delinquent boy you were with earlier!" He smiled gleefully. "Nice young man, that one. Visits the town every weekend. Why, earlier today I was just walking down the street, and heard something or another about the little dispute between you two youngsters!"

Whoa. Did we really make that much of a ruckus about that? Well, truth be told, I made most of the ruckus...

I laughed. "Yeah, I guess I really should fix things with him..."

"Good luck, Lassie!"

"Ruuff!" Wen barked.

I waved back, and started my search for Frau from the direction I came.

_It's a small town, but not enough for me to sense Frau... _I thought, tucking the book into the pocket of my cloak.

* * *

In my whole life, I don't think I've ever tasted alcohol.

And yet here I was, drunk as hell; like a fried winkhob mixed with eyefish stew. With some sugar.

Wait... that made sense, right?

I hiccupped and took a swig out of the bottle of sake, the cold liquid pouring down my chin. I wiped it off with my handkerchief- but realizing I didn't have one, I used my cloak.

How this happened? Well, I'm not entirely sure myself.

Although...

"_Come on! I'm not under age!" I fumed at the bartender. "I happen to be sixteen years old, mind you!"_

_Well, I'm fifteen... but that number was pretty close to sixteen, so that counts!_

"_Sorry, kiddo." The bartender rolled his eyes, wiping the rim of a glass. "Sixteen's the age limit, so unless ya can prove ya really are of age, ya ain't gettin' any booze, ya hear?"_

_For a bartender, he seemed a little drunk to me._

_I glared at him, for a lot of things, actually. One was that he wouldn't allow me access to any alcohol, two for not believing my real age, and three for his annoying accent that kept calling me 'kiddo'._

"_I REALLY am of age! I'm not kidding!" I yelled, slamming my hands on the counter._

"_Lookie here, kiddo. I ain't interested in playing these here games of yers." He slurred. "Best for ye to be playing that hopscotch game of yers with those other kiddie folks in the outside, ya hear?"_

"_She looks over the boundary to me!" A drunk man from a nearby table hollered, and I perked up._

"_Yeah, you tell him! I'm of age, right dude?" I cheered, even though I had absolutely no idea who he was, and he yelled in agreement._

"_See? I told you I was sixteen!" I pointed accusingly at the confused bartender. He looked taken aback, and then stared at me sceptically._

"_Ah, what the heck." He shrugged._

"_What'll it be, little missie?"_

I think it went something like that, but then again, I do have a small feeling that it involved a magic pot, and some confetti, so I'm not too sure any more. Other than that, everything else seemed hazy to me.

Wasn't I trying to find Frau a few moments ago? Why was I in a bar in the first place?

Drinking alcohol seemed to be my top priority right now, as there were two or three empty bottles sitting on my table.

I've worked in tons of bars as a dishwasher, and at one time, I even got to try out being a bartender(Heck, it wasn't fun at all!). I've been around alcohol for as long as I can remember; I had to witness how men would make fools of themselves whenever exposed to such a liquid.

And yet, it was only now that I got the chance to taste the stuff.

"I regret nothing~!" I hollered to myself, and took another long swig from the sake bottle. Who knew that this foreign liquid tasted so fucking great?

"Another bottle, my good sir!" I called to the bartender.

"Ye sure ya dun't need no glass to go with that, little missie?" he raised a brow. He might've been drunk, but he seemed like the sanest one in the whole bar.

"No! I dun't need no unnecessary glass!" I slurred, standing up and wobbling over to the bartender. I snatched the bottle, and hid it inside my cloak.

"Leavin' so soon?" he raised a brow. "That'll be sixty yuus, little missie."

I handed him the money, and made my way towards the exit.-Although, not before yelling "Thanks for the booze, Joe!"

"Mah name's not Joe!" he yelled back.

* * *

It was dark in the streets, the only thing that guided me were the bright light of the stars and the occasionally working street lamps.

Had Frau already left and went back to the church without me?

That sure was a likely possibility. Judging from the looks of things, I must have spent hours at the bar without knowing it. No use for Frau to have waited that long, let alone search for me the whole time.

I can't go back on my own, considering my poor sense of direction(Even if I was sober, I couldn't).

"Fraaaaauuu?" I called stupidly. And as expected, there was no answer. It hadn't occurred to me until now that I was drunk, out in the streets, with no one to protect me- out of the safety of the church. I'm completely vulnerable, and I'm just waiting for someone to kidnap or just kill me right on the spot.

I'm definitely screwed.

Normally, I should've been panicking right now. My brain was practically screaming at me to run and lead myself to safety.

But instead, I laughed.

I giggled endlessly at my current situation. I was drunk, what could be more amusing than that? The fact that I drank four bottles of sake was funny, how I called the bartender 'Joe' was funny... Hell, the bats that flew past my head were funny! This was the reason I was going to die! From alcohol!

I laughed loudly, more than necessary, clutching the lamp post for support.

"...HAHAHAHA... I'm definitely screwed! Haha... " I grinned. "Ya hear that, Chief of heaven? I'M SCREWED! HA!"

"I never thought I'd see the day when you've actually lost your sanity, munchkin."

I turned around, and sure enough Frau was leaning against a lamp post, smoking a cigarette.

"Oh, it's you!" I waved frantically at him, grinning madly. I made a move to try and snatch his cigarette, but he dodged.

"Didn't I tell you to stop smoking that crap? It's not good for you!" I reprimanded irritably.

"You're one to talk." He smirked. "I'm not the one who's piss drunk."

"Yes, yes. I might have had some alcohol..." I waved dismissively. "Now –hic!- take me back to the church before they notice were gone!" I covered my mouth to prevent myself from hiccuping.

"I doubt that they haven't noticed our absence for seven hours..." he sighed. "But all the same, you can't walk, so you know the routine." He gestured for me to hop onto his back, and I did, almost instantly, feeling dizzy clinging to him.

We began our way back to the church, and Frau asked,

"Since when did you have an addiction to alcohol, anyway?"

"I dunno." I answered bluntly. "Since when did you start smoking cigarettes, then?"

He shrugged, and changed the subject.

"I'm never going to let you forget this moment of your life. Ever." He mused. "The day Claire Carsten turned into a drunkard. Priceless."

"Hey, who says I'm turning into a drunkard? This is a onetime thing..." I frowned. _Wait,_ _this is a onetime thing, right?_

"Then why do you have a bottle of sake hidden in your cloak, eh, munchkin?" he teased, and I flushed red.

"That's... none of your business! It's for Lance, yeah!" I shot him a look, and he chuckled.

"_Sure_ it is." he retorted sarcastically.

"Shut up!"

* * *

After a long silence of walking(Well actually, Frau did), the huge structure that was Barsburg church came into view. I couldn't have felt safer, but then there was the thought of getting into trouble...

"You know that we can both sense Castor's presence already waiting for us, right?" I asked him, sweat dropping.

"He's not going to catch us." He rolled his eyes. "Don't you think that I might've prepared for this?"

Frau started walking in a different direction, far away from the church's main gate or the 'secret passage' that we used earlier. Deciding not to question his plan(Although, I _really_ should have!), I resumed back to the unnerving silence.

I scrunched my nose in annoyance when my nose smelled yet again the only scent that I've come in contact with all night.

Tobacco. Stupid Frau... smoking his beloved cigarettes and shit.

'_Pfft, bullshit. We're not going to get in trouble. You make it sound like we're going to do drugs or something.'_

Frau had just said that this morning. I never would have believed that a few hours after he said that, I would be piss drunk while Frau on the other hand, was smoking what was probably his twentieth cigar today. Oh, the irony!

The thought made me giggle out loud, hiccuping here and there.

"What's so funny, munchkin?"

"Oh, nothing~" I giggled like a bubbly school girl. The small sober part that was left of me scoffed at my embarrassing behaviour.

"I didn't realize you were _that_ drunk." Frau snickered. "How about if I ask you to spend the night with me, eh?" he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Hmm... A night with you?" I laughed convincingly, as if I was interested. "Hahahaha NO." I deadpanned.

"Meh, it was worth a try, I guess." He shrugged. "Anyway, no more noise. We need to sneak in as quietly as possible. Can you walk?"

I got off him and I wobbled, almost losing my balance. It took me a few tries, but when I finally managed to walk in a straight line, I gave him a thumbs up.

"Good." Frau grinned. "Cause now we're going to sneak in from above."

I groaned. "This plan... you thought of it, huh?"

"Of course. Who else?"

"Typical of you, Frau."

As silent as possible, Frau jumped onto a tree branch, gracefully bounding through the forest without any noise. I followed, though not as agile. My intoxicated state should wear off soon enough, I hope.

I managed to trail behind Frau, and followed him as he soundlessly leaped onto the church's roof. I observed the grounds wearily. Holy mass seemed to have ended an hour ago, as no one else was roaming around. At least no one could spot our presence for now...

Mm, I shouldn't have said that so soon.

"Castor..." I hissed as both of us sensed his presence approaching, and we wasted no time rushing stealthily away from the spot, springing from roof to roof, hiding in the shadows.

I know this is the wrong time to be thinking this, but I've always wanted to be a ninja!

My excitement was short-lived when I didn't reach the distance I jumped to, my hand reaching for the roof's railing.

I didn't expect to reach it, and just fall to the ground and get caught by Castor- with Frau getting away scot-free. But then again, I also didn't expect Frau to come back and catch my hand, pulling me effortlessly back to the roof.

Before I could thank him, Castor's presence neared us, and we automatically went back into stealth mode, adrenaline coursing through me as we glided away, like assassins in the night. It was like something you would read in a suspense novel or watch in one of those action films I would hear about occasionally.

It didn't take long until I started to lose my energy, as the previous pain in my leg seemed to rush back. I cursed silently when Labrador's medicine began to wear off. And _still_ being under the influence of alcohol didn't help matters. I couldn't run forever.

"C-can't w-we stop nooow? I can't go on much longer!" I panted, stumbling for a second, finding it difficult to breathe. And without so much as a second thought, Frau scooped me into his arms effortlessly and bounded away silently, much to my dismay.

"W-what do you think you're doing?" I hissed angrily, blushing madly all the while. "You don't have to carry me! I can-"

"Look, I promised you that we won't get in trouble all right, and we won't!" Frau cut me off, rolling his eyes with that signature smirk of his plastered on his face once again.

I stared at him- unnerved at his sheer determination, at his stupid smirk, at how he always made me flustered, how he sometimes made sense.

"Mm... Thank you." I mumbled stubbornly, looking away from him and to the direction we were heading towards to instead. And although I couldn't see it, I could tell he grinned at my gratitude.

We jumped down towards the ground, in front of the applicants block(The dorm rooms). I felt victorious! We didn't get caught! I managed to grin, and without a second thought,

Frau threw me on a nearby flower bush.

I made an audible 'Eep!' before having my body tangled inside the huge mass of greenery.

So much for victory...

Before I could yell endless profanities and insults at Frau, I witnessed Frau getting his head stomped on by Castor. I cringed at the loud impact and shrunk back into the bush.

"Idiot! Where were you? Leaving the church without permission! You don't know how much trouble you're in!" Castor yelled angrily at Frau, kicking him while Frau twitched on the ground , his head tilted to where I was, grimacing straight at me. I sweat dropped, wincing at how much pain Frau was probably in.

"I was out for a stroll!" Frau yelled back, standing up from the ground but then getting hit by Castor again. _Whack!_

"A STROLL? You were gone the whole day! Just wait until the archbishop hears about this!" Castor reprimanded, much like a mother would. A scary mother, at that.

To my horror, Castor looked past the bush I was hiding in, and began making his way towards me. I crawled back nervously, hoping I could escape this terrifying fate. _Shit, shit, shit!_ I panicked in my head.

Before I could escape, Castor used his manipulation zaiphon and threw aside the bush I was hiding in, leaving me exposed and defenceless as Castor smiled creepily at me.

And before anyone else could say anything, "I was here the whole day! You can't prove anything!" I blurted out. I swear, I saw Frau giving me a threatening look that said, 'So it has come to this...', whilst Castor gave an amused expression.

"Actually, Bishop Labrador said that the flowers saw you leave." Castor sighed. "So you can't deny anything, Claire."

I stared at him sceptically, "The flowers?" I deadpanned. "They told Labrador that we left?"

He nodded seriously.

'_That isn't weird at all...'_ I muttered in my head.

And suddenly, things just got from embarrassing, to troublesome.

"Claire... is that... alcohol I smell from you?"

Fuck.

"That... is an excellent question..." I laughed nervously, backing away as Castor's aura turned dangerously dark. Meanwhile, Frau watched smugly at the scene before him.

"Never mind that idiot, Frau... ("HEY!" Frau yelled) I expected better from you, Claire..." Castor reprimanded.

"B-b-but-!" I stuttered.

"_But_ what?" Castor asked coldly.

"Frau said I wouldn't get in trouble." I countered, and just like that, Castor immediately turned on Frau.

"MORON! You're a horrible influence to others!" Castor punched Frau, sending him to the ground. At some other time, Frau could have easily dodged Castor's punches and kicks. But right now, I don't think Castor is someone you should cross, lest you wish to get injured in ways that are rather unexpected.

I watched flabbergasted at the scene before me. I felt guilty about framing Frau, but then again _it was_ true that Frau promised me that I wouldn't get in trouble...

_Whack! Whack!_ If I was asked to describe Castor with ten different adjectives, violent would never have been a choice.

Though right now, I'm not too sure any more...

Just as Frau was on the verge of getting knocked unconscious, I blurted out, "Eep! Castor, please stop... It's not his fault..." I admitted it, completely traumatized.

When Castor heard my words, he stopped beating the crap out of Frau and smiled. Not sadistically, though! More of... a satisfied kind of smile.

"I know. Bishop Labrador told me that Frau only took you out to let you explore the town, so both of you are not in any trouble with the archbishop it seems." He explained calmly, as if he wasn't the violent punisher that he was just a few moments ago- he was back to the kind and considerate friend. "I'm glad you had a great time.

_What_ the actual _fuck?_

"W-what? Then... why were you practically killing..." I trailed off, my eye twitching. "DO YOU HAVE SOME KIND OF BIPOLAR ISSUE OR SOMETHING?"

Castor chuckled. Yes, he chuckled. That was enough proof to show that he _was_ indeed an insane man. "There are times when you just have to punish a rule breaker for them to learn discipline." He smiled. "Goodnight, Claire." And with that, he left.

And then there's the awkward silence that we all know and love.

Note the heavy sarcasm.

"I never knew that Castor was like that." I sweat dropped. "But on a happier note, it was a _really _good day, right?" I asked, trying to ease the tension. I began to walk off to the dorms, a little faster than necessary.

"Not so fast, munchkin." Frau called, and I froze. "There's still the case that you tried to play the innocent game and frame me as the bad guy. Let's talk about that..." he approached me sadistically. Something tells me that this was definitely not a _talk_ I would enjoy.

'_I'm a girl... Frau wouldn't hurt me, right? But then again...'_ I thought nervously.

"Yeaaah, About that... It's no big deal, right? I mean..." I laughed nervously, backing away slowly. "Oh, look! A stripper!"

I high-tailed it out of there, running to my dorm room faster than I've ever ran before, despite the pain on my leg.

Unfortunately, Frau didn't buy my trick.

So we made much more of a ruckus than should have been necessary, much to the dismay of everyone who was asleep in the applicants block.

Needless to say, this was _much_ better than spending the day studying in the library.

* * *

**And to this day, no one knows how Claire got drunk in the first place.**

**I still don't know how to avoid making each chapter based on waking up then going back to sleep.. Help? Don't forget to drop a review, thanks for reading and have a nice day! :3**

**P.S. Do you guys think that this story should have a story cover? I'm not too sure about it, actually.**


	9. Intermission: Let me explain you a thing

**Okay before you think that i've abandoned this fanfic, let me explain you a thing! **

**I'm really sorry that i've just up and left this fic lying around here. It's just that school has kept me busy and basically life in general got me buried in a lot of priorities and I really shouldn't be throwing around these excuses. **

**Well I was browsing through some old files and I came across my 07-ghost folder and damn nostalgia kicked in and I just knew I had to finish what I started. But just to be sure, I would really like to know if anyone was still interested in this fanfic? I'd probably update soon but I'd just like to hear from anyone at all(if any of you were actually reading this orz but if you are then i love u). **

**Thanks and sorry for the really long delay and how this isn't the next chapter you may or may not have been expecting u_u**


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